J 



*J*^>SiSi\^5S«5S!*ii5^5^^^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Shelf.Ji-.a- 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




^ 




^^^^ 




BATTLE FIELD 



AND 



PRISON PEN, 



OR 



Tkrough the War, and Thrice a Prisoner 



IN 



REBEL DUNGEONS. 



A graphic recital of personal experiences throughout the whole period of 
the late War for the Union — during which the author was actively 
engaged in 25 Battles and Skirmishes, \vas three times taken 
prisoner of war, and incarcerated in the notorious rebel 
dungeons, Libby, Pemberton, Andersonville, Savan- 
nah, and others. An inside view of those dens 
of death, atrocities practiced, etc., etc.; in fact, 
a recital of possibly as varied and thrill- 
ing experiences as were known dur- 
ing all the wild vicissitudes of 
that terrible four years of 
internecine strife. 

/ 

BY JO H N W. URBAN, 

Company "D,"'^ First Regiment Pennsylvania Resei-ve Infantry. 



P.ROFUSELY ILLUSTRATCID. ^ S'/IBR? 



■ ^ Of WASHl^ 



HUBBARD BROTHERS, Publishers. 
rillLADELPHIA, PA. 



r ratj 



U1 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by 

HUBBARD BROTHERS, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, in Washington, D. C. 



TO 

MOTHERS, 

WIVES AND SISTERS, 

DAUGHTERS AND SWEETHEARTS, 

OF THE UNION SOLDIERS, WHO BY HEROIC 

SELF-SACRIFICE AND BY LOYAL DEVOTION TO 

THEIR COUNTRY, EQUAL TO THE WOMEN OF SPARTA, 

GAVE THEIR 

SONS, HUSBANDS, BROTHERS, FATHERS, AND LOVERS TO' 

THE UNION CAUSE, AND WHO BY THEIR STEADFAST 

DEVOTION TO THE FLAG, DID SO MUCH TO 

PRESERVE THE GOVERNMENT, THIS 

VOLUME IS GRATEFULLY AND 

VERY RESPECTFULLY 

DEDICATED 

BY 

THE AUTHOR. 



PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. 

AUR great war Is rapidly becoming a thing of 
^ the remote past. A generation of young 
people has already come up into activity, who 
have little personal knowledge of those terrible 
scenes. Those who shared in the war, whether 
as soldiers or as active citizens, are taking their 
places among *the older people. It will require 
only a few more years to place the active partici- 
pants of that war among the superannuated 
veterans, and among the dead. The historians 
of the numberless incidents and the special fea- 
tures of that contest are rapidly passing away. 
The present is therefore the time to gather this 
class of facts. To-morrow may be too late. 

But for this work the present possesses peculiar 
advantages. It is sufficiently removed from the 
heat of contest to allow candid views. Men who 
bore part in the horrors of those days, who felt 
the leaden hail and the piercing steel, can be just 
to-day. The time has been when this trait could 
hardly be ^expected In them. The present is 
therefore the time to gather up this war record. 
Yesterday was too early. 

At this auspicious time, a volume such as 

(V) 



VI PUBLISHERS PREFACE. 

"Battle Field and Prison Pen" can be written at 
its best. It is neither premature nor tardy. Its 
author is still in his prime, though the ardor of 
his youth has passed away. His experience as a 
soldier and a prisoner was very extensive. He 
saw and participated in a phase of army life some- 
what exceptional. It is well that he has written. 
His old comrads, and his old foes, will alike 
follow his narrative with absorbing interest. 
Those who remember the events he discusses 
will review them with satisfaction. Those to 
whom these events are new will certainly be 
charmed. 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 

ATO event has ever occurred In the history of the 
^^ world, greater in magnitude, or which has 
drawn to it more intense interest, than the great 
Civil War in the United States, or what is more 
generally known as the Southern Rebellion. This 
terrible conflict, so fiercely contested, and which 
swept to bloody graves more than half a million 
of able-bodied citizens of the country, will ever be 
a subject of attention to the historian, and to the 
reader. 

Much has been written of this struggle, but the 
author would surely be presumptuous to imagine 
that he could fully cover the ground of the four 
years' mighty struggle that, like a tempest of 
death, swept over the land. Much also w^as writ- 
ten at the close of the war, which in the hurry 
and anxiety to get the literature of the war into 
the market, was erroneous. 

The writer of the present day has an easy task, 
compared with his predecessors. Much that was 
then obscure has now become clear and vivid. 
No chapter in the history of the Civil War is so 
imperfectly understood as the one relating to the 
military prisons of the South. This part of the 

(vH) 



VIU PREFACE. 

history of our country can only be given by those 
who endured Its horrors, and tasted of its bitter- 
ness. Survivors of these terrible dens will tell 
tlie story of their sufferings to friends, until the 
last of them have passed away ; but much will 
remain with the unwritten history of the war. 

The object of the author Is to give a fair, truth- 
ful account of the course of treatment adopted by 
the rebel authorities toward the poor unfortunate 
Union soldiers who fell Into their hands, and to 
avoid all artificial coloring or statements that are 
not In strict conformity with the truth, In such a 
statement as he would be willing to answer for at 
the great day of final account. It must, however, 
be remembered that the stern reality of our 
prison-life, the horrible scenes there enacted, are 
more strange, exciting, and wonderful than the 
most brilliant romance, or stories of fiction ; and, 
reader, If things should appear that may seem In- 
credible to you, remember that In reality compar- 
atively little is known of the terrible suffering of 
the Inmates of these Southern hell-holes ; and with 
all you may glean from those who endured their 
horrors, and relate their sufferings, yet will It be 
far short of the whole truths — for no human tongue 
or pen can describe the agony, wretchedness, and 
misery the poor soldiers endured who fell Into the 
hands of the rebels. 

In Andersonvllle alone, 13,269 Union prlson- 
' ers, who \yere In the prime of life — strong, robust 



PREFACE. IX 

and healthy — perished. And in all the Southern 
prisons, as near as could be ascertained, about 
65,000 men fell victims to rebel brutality. Who 
can doubt but that It was a fairly concocted, pre- 
meditated plan of their captors to destroy them, 
and that^ too, in a most horrible manner? The 
plea of inability to prevent the terrible mortality 
can avail them nothing. That thousands of their 
captives died In a land of lumber piles and for- 
ests, alone effectually destroys that defense. With 
such shelter, food, water, and medical attendance, 
as they could have furnished, and which the laws 
of humanity would have required, the mortality 
would not have been one-tenth of the number 
which perished. But, allowing even twenty per 
cent, which of itself would have been a fearful 
mortality, and the fact remains that at least 52,000 
helpless men fell victims to Inhuman treatment. 
It would, however, not be just to charge the 
people of the South with the great crime. The 
most and worst of these dens of death, the rebel 
authorities kept away from civilization as much 
as possible, and comparatively few of the people 
knew any thing of the barbarities practiced in 
tliem, and would have been powerless to prevent 
it. Especially was this so in Andersonville, the 
spot where the climax of barbarity was reached. 
Located in a sparsely-settled country, where but 
few persons would find out the horrible nature of 
the slaughter-house, it was well adapted for the 



X PREFACE. 

purpose it was Intended for. To Jefferson Davis, 
his cabinet advisers, and to the demons whom they 
sent to these prisons to carry out their devIHsh 
plans, and who appear to have been well adapted 
for that kind of work, belongs the Infamy of per- 
petrating one of the most horrible crimes known 
in the history of the world, and one that will for- 
ever remain a blot and stigma on that page of 
our country's history. But very little of the 
terrible barbarity which characterized the prisons 
in the South, extended to the combatants In the 
field. While it must be admitted that in a few 
cases the war was signalized by some acts that 
were a reproach and disgrace to the participants, 
the general conduct of the armies in the field 
was such as reflected honor on the people of 
the land 

J. W. U. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGH. 

CHAPTER I. The Overt Act of Treason, and its Effect 

North and South, 13 

The Overt Act of Treason — The Bombardment — Fire in the Fort 
^ — Surrender of Fort Sumpter — Beauregard's Congratulation — The 
North Aroused — Volunteering — Prominent Adherents — A Solid 
North — Rebel Sympathizers. 

CHAPTER II. Advance of the Grand Army from Washing- 
ton AND ITS Defeat at Bull Rtjn, . . 34 
The First Muster — The Storm of Secession — Prevalent Errors — 
Gen. Scott's Opinion— Advance on Richmond — A Host of Civilians 
— Disastrous Delay — Battle at Bull Run — Victory at hand — The 
Critical Moment — The Panic — Defeat — Forces Engaged — The Cap- 
ital's Peril — Cause of Disaster — Opinions on the Fight — Good Out 
of Evil. 

CHAPTER III. Departure of McClellan's Army for the 

Peninsula, 69 

Organizing the Army — The Army Moving — Strength of Manas- 
sas — Off for the Peninsula — Fighting on the Peninsula — On the 
Chickahominy — Battle of Seven Pines — Interrupted by Floods — 
Precautions. 

CHAPTER IV. Advance of McDowell from Washington, . 89 
Occupation of Fredericksburg — Jackson's Strategy — Defenses of 
Richmond — Reinforcing McClellan — Welcomed by Negroes — At 
Mechanicsville. 

CHAPTER V. The Seven Day's Fight on the Peninsula, . 103 
Pushing the Fighting — Change of Base — Rebel Preparations — 
Fight at Beaver Dam — A Creditable Retreat — Cold Harbor — The 
Battle Raging — Hand to Hand — Repulsing a Charge — Panic — A 
Rebel Account — A Rebel Report — Retreating — A Horrid March — 
Terrible Scenes — Leaving the Wounded— Pursuit Checked — Closing 
up the Fight — Malvern Hill — Harrison's Landing. 

CHAPTER VI. My First Capture, 146 

Night Movements— Capture of a Spy — Desperate Fighting— Death 
of Col. Simmons — Fighting Renewed — The Last Shot — Desperate 
Fighting — Brave Men — Among the Wounded — Taken Prisoner — 
Rebel Soldiers — Battle of Malvern Hill — Rebels in Retreat— Sur- 
geons at work — Off for Richmond — Libby Prison — Belle Island. 

CHAPTER VII. Battle of the Wilderness — Our Capture 

and Re-capture, 180 

Gen. Grant in Command — The Shenandoah Campaign — Forward 



(xi) 



Xll CONTENTS. 

PAGB* 

Again — Counter Movements — In the Wilderness — Skirmishing — 
Withdrawing the Skirmishers — The Verge of Battle — Still Fighting 
— The Enemy Repulsed — The Battle Ended — A Close Race — Again 
in Battle Line — Fleeing for Liberty — A Prisoner Again — Marching 
to Richmond — Re-captured — Rebel Stores Burned — Contrabands — 
Brotherly Help — Sheridan's Raid — Sheridan's Gallantry — Leading 
in Person — Among the Boys Again. 

CHAPTER VHL Advance of Grant's Forces, . . .228 
Cold Harbor — Working and Fighting — Captured Again — Victory 
for the Reserves — A Plan of Escape — Shot on the Last Day — 
Searching Prisoners — Libby and Pemberton — En Route to Ander- 
sonville — Planning to Escape — Arrival at Andersonville. 

CHAPTER IX. Andersonville, , 251 

Hard" to Believe — The Prison Pen Described — Terrible Inhuman- 
ity — No Shelter — Miserable Rations — Soaked with Rain — Hopes 
.of Exchange. 

CHAPTER X. Hanging gf the Thieves 266 

Mosby's Marauders — Mr. Kellogg's Book — Pocket-picking — The 
Hanging — Severity Demanded, 

CHAPTER XI. Enlargement of Our Prison, . . . 276 

A New Pen — Religious Work — Prayer Meetings — The Regulators 
— Rations Served — Molasses Instead of Meat — Commotion Among 
the Rebs — Mean Workmen — Wretched Water — Indignant at Bar- 
barities — Digging for Water — Tunneling Out — Traitors Among the 
Prisoners — A Traitor Punished — The Dead Prisoners — Shamming 
Death — Terrible Mortality — Longing for Death — Idiocy and Mania 
— News from Without — The Old Flag and the New — Misapprehen- 
sions at the South — Loyal Prisoners — Rebel and Federal Prisons — 
Who was Responsible. 

CHAPTER XII .326 

Andersonville in August — Suffering from Scurvy — Trading But- 
tons — " Yankee Tricks" — Stoneman's Raid — Efforts at Suicide — A 
Crazy Man Shot — Loneliness in the Prison — Dying of Despair — 
Cruel Deceptions — The Terrible Storm — Providential Spring — 
Words of Cheer — Horrors of the Dead- House — Heat and Hunger — 
The Prison Hospital — Longing for Home-^Transfer of Prisoners — 
Out at last — The " Bull-pen " at Savannah — One Meal a Day — Cold, 
Disease, and Death — Womanly Nobility- -Hunted by Bloodhounds. 

CHAPTER XIII. Millen Prison, -374 

Millen Prison-pen — Poor Shelter — Deaths from Exposure — Dying 
Comrades — The Candy Business — Clean Candy — Rebel Confusion 
— Sherman Coming — Robbing the Dead— A Comrade's Death — A 
Sham Parole— Insult Added to Injury— Charleston Bombarded. 

CHAPTER XIV. Florence Prison, 401 

Economizing Salt — Unpardonable Cruelty — Selecting for Parole 
— Off Again — Bound for Charleston — Under the Old Flag — Home- 
ward Bound — St. John's College Hospital — Home Again. 

CHAPTER XV. St. John's College Hospital, . . .421 



CHAPTER I. 

THE OVERT ACT OF TREASON, AND ITS EFFECT NORTH 

AND SOUTH. 

'THE twelfth of April, 1861, will ever be memor- 
•^ orable in the history of our country. It was on 
this day that the first cannon-shot was fired by 
the traitors in the South on the National flae. 

At half past four o'clock in the morning, the 
flash of a gun from the Stevens' Rebel battery, 
in Charleston Harbor, followed by the shriek of a 
flaming shell, which exploded directly over the 
starry flag on Fort Sumter, announced to the 
world that the South had rejected all peace over- 
tures of the North, and that they desired that the 
sword should be the arbiter to settle the issues in 
question. 

It was now evident that the era of compromise 
and diplomacy was ended, and that terrible war, 
with all its attendincr horrors and deluofe of blood, 
only could wash away alike the treason and the 
curse, which since the formation of the eovern- 
ment had been a constant, festering sore on the 
body politic, and a stigma and reproach on the 
boasted liberty of our Republic. The first gun 
was soon followed by others, and in a few mo- 
ments battery after battery responded, until the 

(■3) 



14 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

entire line of rebel fortifications in the harbor, 
amounting to more than one hundred heavy 
euns, was rainine a torrent of shot and shell on 
the fort held by a handful of brave men, who were 
left by their government to defend and hold the 
most important harbor in the rebellious States, 
ag-ainst a force exceedinof their own more than 
one hundred times ; and so ill provided with 
provisions were they that starvation would have 
compelled them to surrender to the enemy or to 
evacuate their position in a few days, even had 
the rebels not fired a shot. This the rebels fully 
understood, for Gen. Beauregard sent a message 
to Major Anderson, a few days before the com- 
mencement of the bombardment, requesting him 
to state at what time he would evacuate the fort 
if not attacked ; and the federal commander re- 
plied, "that he would do so at noon on the 15th, 
three days later, if he did not in the meantime 
receive supplies or different instructions from the 
government." 

The rebels, however, were too anxious to 
display their great military skill and prowess to 
desire so peaceable an ejectment of the hated 
"Yankees" from Southern soil; and so for fear 
that by giving them a few hours' time they might 
evacuate, and thus deprive them of the privilege 
of distinguishing themselves, they notified Major 
Anderson that in one hour they would open on 
the fort. That the bombardment of Fort Sumter, 



THE OVERT ACT OF TREASON. 1 5 

under these circumstances, was entirely uncalled 
for, and was only a superb act of Southern bra- 
vado, is too plainly evident to deceive any one. 
Had not the rebels for five long months worked 
most industriously to collect a sufficient force of 
the most chivalrous soldiers in the South at 
Charleston, for the purpose of capturing the 
hated " Yankees " who dared desecrate Southern 
soil ? And now that they had a force of seven or 
eight thousand men, and had as many cannon in 
position as Napoleon had at Jena or Waterloo, 
Meade at Gettysburg, Grant at Vicksburg, and 
four times as many as the last had at the capture 
of Fort Donelson ; and as the best engineering 
skill in the South, or, as they boasted, In the 
world, had been brought into requisition to con- 
struct the forts and batteries that were to demol- 
ish their enemies, was it reasonable to suppose 
that when all these stupendous preparations had 
been perfected, and they were fully prepared to 
commence the assault with at least a reasonable 
hope of success, and thirsting for the gore of their 
enemies, that their hopes of immortalizing their 
names should be dashed to the ground by the 
peaceable withdrawal of Major Anderson and his 
seventy half-starved soldiers ? Such a thing could 
not be thought of. The South must have at least 
one chance to prove to the world that one Southern- 
er was equal to three Yankees ; so, the bom- 
bardment commenced. 



I 6 BATTLE FIELD AND PRLSON PEN. 

Major Anderson, the Federal commander was 
an experienced soldier, and understood perfectly 
well that his position could not be successfully 
defended against the tremendous force arrayed 
against it, unless he should receive aid from a 
powerful Union fleet. He, however, deemed it 
necessary so make such a defense as would at 
least vindicate his flag, and show the enemies of 
his country that all their efforts to dishonor the 
nation would not be met with supineness and a 
willingness to submit to their base dictations. This 
brave commander, who appears to have, from the 
first commencement of the difficulty, understood 
the situation better than his government, had 
proven his sagacity and forethought by removing 
his small force from Fort Moultrie, a position even 
less defensible than Fort Sumter. Here, had 
he been properly supported, he would at least 
have made a respectable resistance to the assaults 
of the rebels. 

On account of the small number of his men, 
and the desire to give them all the rest possible 
before commencing the unequal contest. Major 
Anderson kept his men below, where they were 
safe from, the furious shower of iron hail which 
was making sad havoc with the stone, brick, and 
mortar above them, until they had breakfasted ; 
when, at seven o'clock, after dividing his com- 
mand into three squads, he ordered the fort to 
respond to the enemy's fire. The first gun that 



THE BOMBARDMENT. 1 7 

thundered back Federal defiance to Southern 
treason, was fired by Captain Doubleday, since 
Major-General of United States Volunteers. The 
small garrison kept up a vigorous fire on their 
numerous foes during the day ; but, as the dark- 
ness of night closed over the scene, they ceased 
firing. Not so, however, the seven thousand men 
who were determined to overcome the seventy 
who were shut up in Fort Sumter ; and although 
aware that Anderson would have to surrender in 
a. day or two, they kept up a tremendous bom- 
bardment during the entire ni^ht. 

Major Anderson had ordered the posterns of 
the fort to be closed, and kept his men inside of 
the bomb-proofs ; and although the beleaguered 
fort was shrouded in darkness and gloom, when 
not illuminated by the flashing meteors that fell 
from the guns of its multitudinous foes, the rebels 
evidently labored under the impression that some 
of the heroic defenders of it were still alive, and 
it would be the safest plan to keep up the grand 
fusilade until the last of the terrible enemy had 
been destroyed. Who can tell the disgust these 
chivalrous sons of the South must have felt when 
they at last succeeded in getting possession of the 
fort, to find that, after the furious assault that had 
cost them about half a million of dollars and sev- 
eral days' hard work, not a Yankee was killed, 
and not one even seriously injured ? 

When we read, however (as Schmucker, in his 

2 



1 8 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

History of the Civil War, expressed it), "that the 
wharves and what is called the battery were filled 
with a delighted and astonished multitude, who 
gazed with mingled wonder and exultation at the 
countless shells as they described their symmetri- 
cal parabolas through the midnight heavens, and 
then descended upon the silent fortress," we may 
come to the conclusion that this demonstration 
was kept up to still further fire the Southern 
heart, and excite her sons to greater deeds of 
valor and daring. 

At dawn on the following day, the brave little 
garrison again opened fire, but were soon com- 
pelled to cease firing, on account of a greater 
danger threatening them than the fire from the 
enemy's guns. The wooden barracks had caught 
fire several times during the first day's bombard- 
ment, but had been extinguished without call- 
ing off the garrison from working the guns ; but 
now the barracks were again on fire, and it soon 
became evident that the flames could not be con- 
trolled without the garrison devoting all their 
time to it. 

An eye-witness thus graphically describes the 
scene : 

" For the fourth lime, the barracks were set on 
fire early on Saturday morning, and attempts 
were made to extinguish the flames ; but it was 
soon discovered that red-hot shot were beinof 
thrown into the fort with fearful rapidity, and it 



FIRE IN THE FORT. 1 9 

became evident that it would be impossible to put 
out the conflagration. The whole garrison was 
then set to work — or as many as could be spared 
— to remove the powder from the magazines, 
which was desperate work, rolling barrels of pow- 
der through the fire. 

"Ninety odd barrels had been rolled out 
through the flames, when the heat became so in- 
tense as to make it impossible to get out any 
more. The doors were then closed and locked, 
and the fire spread and became general. The 
wind so directed the smoke as to fill the fort so 
full that the men could not see each other ; and, 
with the hot, stifling air, it was as much as a man 
could do to breathe. Soon they were obliged to 
cover their faces with wet cloths, in order to get 
along at all, so dense was the smoke and so 
scorchinof the heat. 

" But few cartridges were left, and the guns 
were fired slowly ; nor could more cartridges be 
made, on account of the sparks falling in every 
part of the works. A gun was fired every now 
and then, only to let the fleet and the people in 
the town knew that the fort had not been si- 
lenced. The cannoneers could not see to aim, 
much less where they hit. 

' "After the barracks were well on fire, the bat- 
teries directed upon Fort Sumter increased their 
cannonading to a rapidity greater than had been 
attained before. About this time, the shells and 



20 BATTLE FIELD AND PRLSON PEN. 

ammunition in the upper service-magazine ex- 
ploded, scattering the tower and upper portion of 
the building in every direction. The crash of the 
beams, the roar of the flames, and the shower of 
fragments of the fort, with the blackness of the 
smoke, made the scene indescribably terrific and 
orand. This situation continued for several hours. 
Meanwhile, the main gates were burned down, 
and the chassis of the barbette guns were burned 
away on the gorge, and the upper portions of the 
towers had been demolished by shells. 

"There was not a portion of the fort where a 
breath of pure air could be had for hours, except 
through a wet cloth. The fire spread to the 
men's quarters on the right hand and on the left, 
and endangered the powder which had been 
taken out of the magazines. The men went 
through the fire and covered the barrels with wet 
cloths ; but the danger of the fort's blowing up 
became so imminent that they were obliged to 
heave the powder out of the embrasures. While 
the powder was being thrown overboard, all the 
guns of Moultrie, of the iron floating battery, of 
the enfilade battery, and of the Dahlgren battery, 
worked with increasing vigor. 

"All but four barrels were thus disposed of, 
and those remaining were wrapped in many 
thicknesses of wet woolen blankets. But three 
cartridges were left, and tliese were in the guns. 
About this time, the flacr-staff of Fort Sumter was 



SURRENDER OF FORT SUxMTER. 21 

shot down, some fifty feet from the truck ; this 
being the ninth time that it had been struck by a 
shot. The men cried out, ' The flag is down ! it has 
been shot away.' In an instant Lieut. Hall rushed 
forward, and seized the fallen flaof. But the 
halliards were so inextricably tangled that it could 
not be righted ; it was therefore nailed to the staff, 
and planted upon the ramparts, while batteries in 
every direction were playing upon them." 

Major Anderson, knowing that further resist- 
ance would be worse than useless, now surren- 
dered the fort, and his weary, half-smothered men 
devoted all their enerpfies to extineuishinof the 
flames that were threatening every moment to 
communicate with the remaining powder, and 
blow them all into eternity. This was accom- 
plished by evening, and the brave little garrison 
lay down to rest, feeling at least the conscious- 
ness of having done their duty, and that the sur- 
render of this important post to the armed foes 
of the Government was no fault of theirs. 

It must be said to Gen. Beauregard's credit, that 
the terms given to the Federal commander were 
very fair and honorable. Major Anderson and his 
men were allowed to evacuate the fort instead of 
being held as prisoners of war, and to retain their 
arms and personal property, salute their flag with 
fifty guns, and march out with the honors of war. 
A United States steamship took them on board on 
Monday, April 15th, and brought them to New 



22 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

York City, from whence Major Anderson sent the 
government the following- dispatch : 

Steamship Baltic, off Sandy Hook, \ 
April 1 8th, i86i.> / 
The Hon. S. Cameron, 

Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. 
Sir : Having defended Fort Sumter for thirty-eight hours, 
until the quarters were entirely burned, the main gates de- 
stroyed, the gorge-wall seriously injured, the magazine sur- 
rounded by flames, and its door closed from the effects of the 
heat, four barrels and three cartridges of powder only being 
available, and no provisions but pork remaining, I accepted 
terms of evacuation offered by Gen. Beauregard (being the 
same offered by him on the nth instant, prior to the com- 
mencement of hostilities), and marched out of the fort on 
Sunday afternoon, the 14th instant, with colors flying and 
drums beating, bringing away company and private property, 
and saluting my flag with fifty guns. 

Robert Anderson, 

MaJ. First Artillery. 

The news of the bloodless rebel victory in 
Charleston Harbor was received by the rebels all 
over the South with the greatest joy ^nd exulta- 
tion. Seven thousand Southern soldiers had 
conquered seventy of their enemies, and this 
great heroic deed set all the South wild with de- 
light. Had the contest been a battle of the mae- 
nitude of a Waterloo, or Gettysburg, the Southern 
rebels could not have been more ardent in their 
demonstrations of joy. The establishment of the 
Southern Confederacy was to many of them now 



BEAUREGARD S CONGRATULATION. 23 

an assured fact, and already in the distorted 
visions they saw the chivalrous sons of the South 
marching to Bunker Hill, to dictate terms of 
peace to the subdued and demoralized ** mud- 
sills " of the North. 

Gen. Beauregard issued an address to his vic- 
torious legions that for silly gasconading, and idle 
Buncombe, is worthy to be put side by side with 
Falstaff's best effort. In this remarkable procla- 
mation the general thanks the officers who com- 
posed his staff (who, by the way, were more 
numerous than his foes) for their gallantry, and 
expresses his admiration for the bravery of the 
regulars, the volunteers, and even the militia, 
who composed the army and who had immortalized 
themselves by their heroism in overcoming the 
terrible enemy, and giving the death-blow to 
Federal interference with Southern rights. He 
declared that " they had all exhibited the highest 
characteristics of tried soldiers." 

It has often been asserted by the rebel sympa- 
thizers in the North, that the people of the South 
did not, in the early part of the war, entertain the 
idea of an invasion of the North, but would have 
adhered strictly to a defensive policy to resist an 
invasion of the States that had seceded from the 
Union. That that supposition was an erroneous 
one, subsequent events have fully proven. The 
capture of Fort Sumter, and the defeat of the 
Union forces at Bull Run, had aroused the military 



24 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

ardor of the South to the highest pitch, and they 
not only expected to capture the capital of the 
nation, but the far-off Yankees up in Massachu- 
setts were to hear, on their own soil, the tramp of 
the victorious Southern legions, and to hear the 
fiery Bob Toombs call the long roll of his slaves 
from the steps of Faneuil Hall, in Boston. The 
capture of Washington and invasion of the North 
were fondly-cherished schemes of the leaders of 
the secession movement very early in the con- 
flict; and the Southern press almost unanimously 
urged such a step, and declared that the people 
of the South demanded such an enterprise. The 
Mobile Advertiser, in an article urging such a 
measure, said : 

"We are prepared to fight, and the enemy is 
not. Now is the time for action, while he is yet 
unprepared. Let the fife sound, " Gray Jackets 
over the Border," and let a hundred thousand 
men, with such arms as they can snatch, get over 
the border as quickly as they can. Let a division 
enter every Northern border State, destroy rail- 
road connections to prevent concentration of the 
enemy, and the desperate straits of these States, 
the body of Lincoln's country, will compel him to 
a peace — or compel his successor, should Virginia 
not suffer him to escape from his doo7ned Capital ! 
Kentucky and Tennessee are offering to send 
lecrions south to our aid. Their route is north. 
They place themselves at the orders of our gov- 



THE NORTH AROUSED. 2$ 

ernment, and we have not yet heard that our 
government has ordered them south.'* 

There can be no doubt but that the South ex- 
pected an easy victory over the North, and that 
whatever fighting there might be, they expected 
but Httle of it would be fought on Southern soil. 

When the news flashed over the country that 
the rebels had at last fired on the old flag, the 
excitement in the North became probably as in- 
tense as it was in the South ; but while in the 
South it was a feeling of rejoicing and exultation, 
in the North it was one of the most intense indig- 
nation against the dastardly act of the traitors 
who had now fairly thrown down the gage of 
battle against the Government. Dastardly, how- 
ever, as was this act of the rebels, it was yet the 
very best thing that could have happened the 
Government. Slow as the loyal North was to 
believe that the South really meant war, and to 
accept the true situation of affairs, it needed 
somethinor of the kind to arouse them to a sense 
of self-respect, and the necessity of arming and 
preparing to meet the contest forced upon them. 
It most effectually accomplished that purpose. 

The echo of the first gun had hardly more than 
died away, when from the pine forests of Maine 
to the broad prairies of the West, was heard the 
beat of the drum calling the loyal sons of the 
nation to arms to save the imperiled Republic. 
While it must be admitted that in almost every 



26 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

neighborhood in the North a few could be found 
who still wavered in their alleoriance to the Gov- 
ernment, and who shed crocodile tears at the 
prospect of blood being shed by the Government 
in its endeavors to maintain its existence, yet 
it is a fact that the vast majority of the people in 
the free States, and at least a considerable por- 
tion in the border States, were loyal, and looked 
with abhorrence and indiofnation on this bold 
attempt to dishonor the flag of the nation. For 
a time party lines were almost swept away, and 
the cry, "Rally for the Union," could be heard in 
every street, hamlet, and highway in the North ; 
and the starty flag was flung to the breeze until 
it waved from almost every loyal home. 

The enthusiasm became indescribable, and the 
old and the young, men, women, and children, 
vied with each other in displaying their devotion 
to the Union. No age in the history of the world 
has ever witnessed an uprising of the people in 
defense of an imperiled government as great and 
grand as the uprising of the people of the North 
on this occasion. Mechanics and farmers dropped 
their tools, merchants and clerks left their stores, 
lawyers, physicians, and even ministers, their 
professions, and offered their services to the 
Government, and in the ranks could be found 
some of the best citizens in the country. 

Horace Greeley, in Itjs "American Conflict," 
relates, " that a regiment from Rhode Island con- 



VOLUNTEERING.' 27 

tained a private soldier who was wordi a million 
of dollars, and who destroyed the passage ticket 
he had purchased for a trip to Europe on a tour 
of observation and pleasure, to shoulder his 
musket in defense of his country and her laws." 

The first call for troops was so promptly re- 
sponded to, that in a short time a large number 
hadl offered their services who could not at the 
time be accepted. Thousands of the names en- 
tered on the muster-rolls of the Union reofiments 
belonged to boys of sixteen or seventeen years 
of age, who in their eagerness to serve their 
country, represented themselves as being eigh- 
teen years of age, that being the age required by 
the government for admittance into the army. 

The North, which but a few days before ap- 
peared to be a people of compromisers, who could 
not be aroused to a sense of the danger threaten- 
ing them flew to arms with an alacrity and 
enthusiasm that was in strange contrast with their 
former indifference. Military companies were 
soon formed all over the North, politics were 
almost forgotten, and the only thought that ap- 
peared to be actuating the minds of the people 
w^as how to put down treason and bring the 
traitors back to their allegiance, or destroy, root 
and branch, them, and all the Institutions which 
had brought on the rebellion. 

A large number of pro-slavery Democrats and 
Conservatives in the free States, who had earnestly 



28 BATTLE FIELD AND PRLSON PEN. 

maintained that the North should accede to the 
demands of the slave power, and for a long time 
most emphatically opposed any measures that 
might have a tendency to inflame the South, 
now came out squarely for war measures to put 
down the traitors, and warmly supported the gov- 
ernment in its efforts to enforce the laws. The 
action of these men had a most salutary effect, 
and greatly strengthened Lincoln's administra- 
tion. Among the most prominent of these men 
micrht be mentioned the names of Edwin M. 
Stanton, subsequently Lincoln's great Secretary 
of War. 

Gen. John A. Dix, whose famous dispatch, " If 
any person attempts to haul down the American- 
flag, shoot him on the spot," sent, at a later day, 
an electric thrill through the heart of every loyal 
person in the country. 

Stephen A. Douglas, whose noble support of 
the administration of his successful competitor for 
the Presidency did so much to unite the North- 
ern people in support of the Union, and whose 
bold declaration, at about the beginning of the 
war, *' If the Southern States attempt to secede 
from this Union without further cause, I am In 
favor of their having just so many slaves and just 
so much slave terrltor)^ as they can hold at the 
point of the bayonet, and no more !" was the ex- 
pressed sentiment of thousands of men in the 
North, who now felt that — 



PROMINENT ADHERENTS. 29 

" Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, 
In the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or evil side." 

** Keep step with the music of Union, 
The music our ancestors sung, 
When States, like a jubilant chorus, 
To beautiful sisterhood sprung." 

Gen. B. F. Butler, who, although he had sup- 
ported Breckenridge for President in preference 
to Douglas, Bell, or Lincoln, as soon as he saw 
that the South meant disunion, arrayed him- 
self on the side of the administration, and early 
proved his loyalty by his works. His services in 
opening communication with Washington — com- 
munication with It and the North having been 
cut off by the rebels In Baltimore — and his seizure 
of Annapolis, Md., and marching of troops from 
that place to the Federal Capital, thus preventing 
It from falling into the hands of the rebel conspir- 
ators, alone entitled his name to rank high In the 
splendid galaxy of names made illustrious and 
heroic by our great civil war. 

Gen. U. S. Grant, of whom Henry Coppee, his 
biographer, said: ''A decided Democrat before 
the war, he had In his limited sphere been In favor 
of conceding to the South all Its rights, perhaps 
more ; but when the struggle actually began, his 
patriotism and military ardor were aroused to- 
gether." . 

Directly after the attack on Fort Sumter, he 
raised a company of soldiers in liis own neighbor- 



30 BATTLE FIELD AND PPaSON TEN. 

hood, and offered his services to his country ; and 
by his great skill and valor he worked his way up 
until he Is acknowledo^ed as beinof one of the 
greatest soldiers of the age. 
> Gen. George B. McClellan, whose really great 
services to the country In the early history of the 
war were not fully appreciated, from the fact that 
he was in command at a time when the people of 
the North expected the armies in the field, and Its 
leaders, to accomplish Impossibilities, and before 
the extent and power of the rebellion was under- 
stood by the nation ; also, from the fact that the 
movements of the army were, to a great extent, 
dictated and controlled by men at Washington 
and New York who understood Blackstone and 
journalism better than military science. His sub- 
sequent acceptance of a nomiination for the Pres- 
idency of the nation, from a party that was again 
manifesting considerable hostility against the war 
as being conducted by the Lincoln administration 
for the preservation of the Union, and the subse- 
quent abuse and vilifying he, in common with all 
other men, of whatever party, who have been 
candidates for high positions in the nation, re- 
ceived, had much to do to prevent him from re- 
ceiving the credit really due him.. 

During the excitement that followed the fall of 
Fort Sumter, a large majority of the Democrats 
In the North arrayed themselves on the side of 
the war party, and for a time there appeared to 



A SOLID NORTH. ^ 3 1 

be almost a solid North in support of the admin- 
istration. The following article, that appeared 
two days after the fall of Fort Sumter in The New 
York Tribune, fully expressed the situation at the 
time : 

'' Fort Sumter Is lost, but freedom is saved. 
There is no more thouofht of bribincr or coaxine 
the traitors who have dared to aim their cannon- 
balls at the flag of the Union, and those who gave 
their lives to defend it. It seems but yesterday 
that at least two-thirds of the journals of this city 
were the virtual allies of the Secessionists, their 
apologists, their champions. The roar of the 
great circle of batteries pouring their Iron hail 
upon devoted Sumter has struck them all dumb. 
It is as If one had made a brilliant and effective 
speech, setting forth the innocence of murder, 
and, having just bidden adieu to the cheers and 
the gas-lights, were to be confronted by the gory 
form and staring eyes of a victim of assassina- 
tion, the first fruit of his oratorical success. 

" For months before the late Presidential elec- 
tion, a majority of our journals predicted forcible 
resistance to the government as the natural and 
necessary result of a Republican triumph ; for 
months since, they have been cherishing and en- 
couraoflnof the Slaveholders' Rebellion, as if it 
were a very natural and proper proceeding. 
Their object was purely partisan — they wished to 
bully the Republican administration into shameful 



32 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

recreancy to Republican principle, and then call 
upon the people to expel from power a party so 
profligate and so cowardly. They did not suc- 
ceed In this ; they have succeeded In enticing 
their Southern proteges and sometimes allies into 
flagrant treason. ♦ en * 

'' Most of our journals lately parading the 
pranks of the Secessionists with scarcely disguised 
exultation, have been suddenly sobered by the 
culmination of the slaveholding conspiracy. 
They would evidently like to justify and encour- 
age the traitors further, but they dare not; so the 
' Amen ' sticks in their throat. The aspect of the 
people appals them. Democrat as well as Re- 
publican, Conservative and Radical, instinctively 
feel that the guns fired at Fort Sumter were 
aimed at the heart of the American Republic. 
Not even in the lowest groggery of our city 
would it be safe to propose cheers for Beau- 
regard and Gov. Pickens. The tories of the 
Revolution were relatively ten times as numerous 
here as are the open sympathizers with the Pal- 
metto Rebels. It is hard to lose Sumter ; it Is a 
consolation to know that In losine it we have 
gained a united people. Henceforth, the loyal 
States are a unit In uncompromising hostility to 
treason, wherever plotted, however justified. 
Fort Sumter Is temporarily lost, but the country 
is saved. Live the Republic ! " 

It must not be supposed, however, that although 



REBEL SVMrATlIIZERS. ;i,2> 

the mass of the people in the North were so en- 
thusiastic In support of the Government, that all 
treasonable sentiments and sympathy for the 
rebels had been blotted out In the Nordi. As 
stated before, almost every locality contained a 
few traitors, who could hardly conceal their exul- 
tation when the Union forces were defeated, and 
whose cheeks paled at every announcement of a 
defeat of the rebel army. These were, however, 
the excepdons, and, whatever mischief they might 
have wished to do was easily prevented by their 
more patriotic neighbors, and by the Innate cow- 
ardice of the rebel sympathizers, who, instead of 
going to the South and helping their braver co- 
partners In treason, stayed at home, and, like a 
bird of Ill-omen, kept up a constant croaking 
about the terrlbleness of the times. They never 
tired of lamenting about the dreadful war, but 
their lamentations were loud in proportion to the 
whipping received by the South. 

The fall of Fort Sumter, although at first re- 
ceived as a disaster, was really a blessing In dis- 
guise to the nation; for Its loyal sons, now fully 
aroused to the extent of the danger threatening 
It, soon prepared themselves to meet treason on 
the bloody field of battle, and decide once and 
forever w^hether this Union was a mere compact 
between the States, that could be dissolved at will 
by any of them, or a nation, that could centralize 
its power, and crush cut treason within its borders. 



CHAPTER II. 

ADVANCE OF THE GRAND ARMY FROM WASHINGTON 
AND ITS DEFEAT AT BULL RUN. 

AN the fifteenth day of April, two days after the 
^ fall of Fort Sumter, President Lincoln issued 
a proclamation calling for 75,000 men to suppress 
rebellion in the South and execute the laws. This 
call to arms was so promptly responded to, that 
in a short time the number who had offered their 
services far exceeded the call. Unfortunately, 
they were not accepted, and that this was a short- 
sighted policy soon became fully evident, and 
proves cojnclusively that the Federal administra- 
tion had entirely miscalculated the magnitude of 
the rebellion, and the abilities, as well as the des- 
perate character, of the rebel leaders. The North 
had probably underrated the South as much as 
the South had the North, and the general supposi- 
tion among the Northern people was that a small 
force of troops would soon thrash the seceded 
States back into the Union. Doubtless there 
was great disappointment on both sides, and it 
needed actual war to understand the extent and 
character of the conflict before them. 

A considerable portion of the troops called into 
service was collected in and about Washington, 

(34) 



THE FIRST MUSTER. 35 

and was known as the " Grand Army." To this 
body of men the loyal citizens of the country 
looked especially as the instrument that was to 
crush the main power of the rebel army, capture 
the Capital of the Confederacy, and put an end to 
the rebellion. v 

The " Grand Army," as it was absurdly called, 
consisted of about 40,000 men, all told, including 
the garrison which would be considered necessary 
to protect the Capital of the Nation should an 
advance be made on the enemy. This army, as 
well as the Union forces, was under the command 
of Lieut. Gen. Scott, who, being too old for active 
field service, was to direct the movements from 
the headquarters at the Capital. To Major Gen- 
eral Irwin McDowell, a graduate of West Point, 
who had distinofuished himself in the Mexican 
War, and who was in every way worthy and com- 
petent to command the expedition, was assigned 
the command of the Union forces which were to 
make the triumphant march to the rebel Capital. 

The army, although almost entirely composed 
of brave and patriotic men who would have made 
the most excellent soldiers had the proper time 
been given to drill and qualify them for active 
service in the field, was in part little better than 
an armed mob, for peaceable citizens are not con- 
verted into good soldiers, by a few weeks' drill. 

About thirty-five miles from Washington Is 
a tract of country known as Manassas Plains. 



36 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

This place is most admirably adapted by nature 
for a defensive position against an enemy advanc- 
ino- from the north. In front of it is a small, nar- 
row stream, fordable at intervals of a few miles, 
known as Bull Run. On the south of the stream, 
and almost inclosing the immediate valley, are a 
number of hills or bluffs, which afford most excel- 
lent positions for posting batteries, which cover or 
command all of the roads leading in that direction. 
The most of these roads were so covered by 
woods or brush, that batteries occupying them 
could be so perfectly masked, that the attacking 
party could not discover them until fired upon. 
This position, made so strong by nature, was se- 
lected by the rebel leaders as the place on which 
to concentrate the main body of their army, which 
was to resist Federal invasion ; and by a com- 
plete system of fortifications, they made the place 
about as strong as military art could make it. To 
this formidable position the rebel Government had 
gathered about 30,000 frantic and maddened men, 
who had been made fanatical by the political dema- 
gogues of the South, who had aroused and 
excited their worst passions by making them be- 
lieve that they were to fight an enemy who would 
destroy their homes, murder or dishonor their 
families, and carry on a war of rapine, devastation, 
and plunder, contrary to all the rules of civilized 
warfare. 

The io^norant masses of the South had been 



THE STORM OF SECESSION. 2)7 

taught to believe that the Northern soldiers were 
coming South thirsting for their blood, and that 
with them it was a war in defense of their lives, 
their honor, and all that was dear to them. A 
people so inflamed and prejudiced against their 
opponents are no contemptible foe ; and the feel- 
ing so prevalent in the North that they would not 
fight, was a most fearful delusion. Who can 
doubt that these men, had they had a proper 
understanding of the true state of affairs, or a true 
conception of the real state of feeling in the 
North, would have disbanded and gone to their 
homes, thus preventing a war that swept to 
bloody and untimely graves more than one-half a 
million of the people, which filled almost every 
home in the land with sorrow. But such are 
some of the fruits which the teachings of the pol- 
itical demao-oofue brinof forth. 

How fortunate it would have been for the 
South had its people hearkened to the warning 
voice of one of its great leaders (Alexander H. 
Stephens), when with prophetic vision, and before 
he wavered in his allegiance, he proclaimed the 
terrible results which would follow an attempt of 
the South to secede from the Union. But the 
teachings of the rebel leaders had so thoroughly 
prepared the way for rebellion, that he " was as 
one crying in the wilderness," and his moaning 
cry for peace and union was soon drowned out in 
the rao-ing- storm of secession sentiment which 



38 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

swept like a hurricane through the South, and 
carried its people to financial ruin and untimely 
graves. 

Directly after the firing on Fort Sumter, and 
when the citizen soldiers of the North were flock- 
ing to the Nation's Capital, to save it from falling 
into the hands of the rebel troops, who were rap- 
idly assembling in Northern Virginia, the press in 
the N^orthern States commenced to clamor loudly 
that an advance should be made by the Union 
troops on the enemy's lines. The most absurd 
ideas existed in the North in reeard to the extent 
of the rebellion, the fierce determination of the 
rebel leaders, and the means required to carry on 
the war. 

To judge from the absurd and ridiculous asser- 
tions of the Northern press, and the remarks con- 
stantly heard from the people, when discussing 
the war. Its probable extent, and the best means 
of putting It down, It might have been supposed 
that all that was necessary to suppress the rebel- 
lion was to send a few men to the rebel camps, 
and by a process similar to the reading of the 
"riot act," bring peace and quiet to the country; 
or, that at the worst a few Federal reelments 
would thrash and brlno- Into submission all the 
troops the South could bring Into the field. 

The general Impression was that the Southern 
leaders were only blustering, that the South- 
ern soldiers would not, at least In this war, fio-ht, 



PREVALENT ERRORS. 39 

and that all the preparations the rebels were making 
to carry on the contest were scoffed at and de- 
clared to amount to nothing. The rebel fortifica- 
tions at Manassas were declared to be mounted 
with wooden or "Quaker guns/' whose harmless 
muzzles were keeping Scott's army from moving, 
and that the soldiers gathered at that place were 
so weakened with drunkenness and debauchery 
and possessed so little physical endurance, that 
they would not be able to cope with the more 
vigorous soldiers of the North. 

That these ideas were almost fatal delusions 
has been well established. It Is known that the 
movement from Washington by the Union forces 
aealnst the rebel lines at Manassas was com- 
menced against the judgment of the best military 
men In Washlneton ; but the clamor became so 
great, and the military editors declaimed so loudly 
about the inactivity of the army, and the want of 
energy of its leaders in not advancing and anni- 
hilating the rebels, that, against the judgment of 
those who would be held responsible for any dis- 
aster which might follow, the order was given to 
advance. 

If it was not a success in the sense it was ex- 
pected to be, it had, however, the effect of awak- 
ening the Nation from its dream of easy conquest 
to a sense of the magnitude of the contest before 
it ; and that Instead of suppressing the Rebellion 
in sixty or ninety days, it was engaged in a con- 



40 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

test that would be a fierce strusforle for its National 
existence. That the movement was commenced 
through the influence brought to bear on the Ad- 
ministration by men who had more patriotism than 
sagacity, and that it was opposed by General 
Scott, there can be no doubt. A few days after 
the disaster, the New York Times contained the 
following statement, made to the editor of that 
paper by Gen. Scott, which proves conclusively 
that the old veteran was opposed to that advance. 
He is there reported to have said, that if the 
matter had been left to him he would have com- 
menced by a perfect blockade of every Southern 
port on the Atlantic and the Gulf. Then he 
would have collected a large force at the Capital 
for defensive purposes, and another one on the 
Mississippi for defensive operations. The sum- 
mer months, during which it is madness to take 
troops south of St. Louis, should have been de- 
voted to tactical instruction, and, with the first 
frosts of Autumn, he would have taken a column 
of 80,000 well disciplined troops down the Mis- 
sissippi and taken every important point on that 
river, New Orleans included. " // could have been 
done^' he said, ''with greater ease, less loss of life a7id 
with far more i7np07dant results thaft zvotdd attend 
the inarching of a7i ai^7ny to Richmojid, At eight 
points the river would probably have been de- 
fended and eieht battles would have been neces- 
sary ; but in every one of them, success would 




LIEUTENANT-GENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT- 




LIEUTENANT-GENERAL PHILIP H. SHERIDAN 



GEN. SCOTT S OPINION. 4 1 

have been made certain for us. The Mississippi 
and Atlantic once ours, the Southern States would 
have been compelled, by the natural and inevi- 
table pressure of events, to seek, by a return to 
the Union, escape from the ruin that would 
speedily overwhelm them out of it. This," said 
he, " was my plan. But I am only a subordinate. 
It is my business to give advice when it is asked, 
and to obey orders when they are given. / shall 
do it. There are men in the Cabinet who know 
much more about war than I do, and who have 
far ereater influence than I have in determininof 
the plan of the campaign. There never was a 
more just and upright man than the President — 
never one who desired more sincerely to promote 
the interest of the country. But there are men 
amonor his advisers who consult their own resent- 
ments far more than the dictates of wisdom and 
experience, and these men will probably decide the 
plan of the campaign. I shall do, or attempt, 
whatever I am ordered to do. But they must not 
hold me responsible. If I am ordered to ^o to 
Richmond, I shall endeavor to do it. But I know 
perfectly well that they have no conception of the 
difficulties we shall encounter. I know the coun- 
try — how admirably it is adapted for defense, and 
how resolutely and obstinately it will be defended. 
I would like nothlnor better than to take Rich- 
mond, now that it has become disgraced by be- 
coming the Capital of the Rebel Confederacy. I 



42 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

feel a resentment for It, and should like nothlnp^ 

o 

better than to scatter the Congress to the winds. 
But I have lived long enough to know that human 
resentment Is a very bad foundation for public 
policy; and these gentlemen will live long enough 
to learn it also, I shall do what I am ordered, I 
shall fight when and where I am commanded, 
But, if I am compelled to fight before I am ready, 
they shall not hold me responsible. These gentle- 
men must take the responsibility of their acts, as 
I am willing to take that of mine. But they must 
not throw their responsibility on my shoulders." 
The advance from Washington on the rebel 
position at Manassas, commenced on the i6th of 
July. The column was divided into five small 
divisions, and was directed to move In the follow- 
ing order: The first division, commanded by Gen. 
Tyler, in the direction of Viana. The second, 
commanded by Gen. Hunter, on the road direct to 
Centreville. The third, by Gen. Heintzelman, 
on the line of the Orange and Alexandria Rail- 
road. The fifth division, commanded by Gen. 
Miles, marched in the rear of the first, and the 
fourth division, commanded by Gen. Runyon, 
stayed In camp In front of Washington until the 
main body of the army reached Centreville, when 
it was advanced to within about seven miles of 
Fairfax. Gen. McDowell accompanied the column 
under Gen. Tyler, whose division advanced through , 
Viana and Fairfax to Germantown on the first day's 



ADVANCE ON RICHMOND. 43 

march, where It camped for the night. A consider- 
able rebel column, under the command of Gen. 
Bonham, had been In possession of Fairfax Court 
House, but retreated to Centrevllle on the ap- 
proach of the Union troops. Early on the follow- 
ing morning, Tyler resumed the advance, and by 9 
A. M., had occupied Centrevllle, the rebels again 
withdrawing at his approach. About three miles 
from this place Is Blackburn's Ford, one of the 
numerous fording places on Bull Run, and It was 
at that place that the rebels made the first effort 
to stop the advancement of the Federal troops. 
A reconnolssance made by the Union troops In 
that direction discovered the enemy In force, and 
apparently determined to stop the farther move- 
ment of the Federals. McDowell ordered Gen. 
Richardson's brigade, of Tyler's division, to ad- 
vance to dislodge the enemy. The brigade ad- 
vanced gallantly to the assault, but were drawn 
Into an ambuscade, and being handled severely, 
were compelled to fall back In confusion. 

The enemy, who, In command of Gen. Long- 
street, occupied this position In strong force, 
being protected by strong entrenchments, easily 
beat back the Union troops. It was certainly a 
mistake to advance so small a body of troops to 
the assault of a strong position, without a better 
understanding of the nature of the ground and 
strength of the enemy's position than appears to 
have been had In this case. As a reconnolssance 



44 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

in force It was, however, a success, so far that it re- 
vealed the fact that the advance on the rebel capital 
could not be continued without fighting a pitched 
battle. The attack, however, was unfortunate, as 
it gave the enemy the prestige of success in the 
very beginning of the fighting. It made them 
more confident, and had a correspondingly de- 
pressing effect on the Union troops. The loss of 
the Federals in this afi"ray was somewhat over one 
hundred in killed and wounded. The loss of the 
enemy is not known, but as they fought almost 
entirely under cover, it was hardly half as large. 
The second and third divisions of the Union army 
arrived at Centreville directly after the fight, and 
encamped in the rear of Tyler's division. Miles' 
division, the fifth, was close in the rear, and Run- 
yon's, the fourth, about half-way between Arling- 
ton Heights and Fairfax Court House. Every- 
thing appeared in readiness to commence the first 
great conflict of the war. Gen. McDowell had 
intended moving on the enemy's position early on 
the following morning, July 20th, when it was dis- 
covered that a deficiency of ammunition existed, 
which necessitated a delay of twenty-four hours. 
Finally, at half-past two o'clock on Sunday morn- 
ing, July 2 1 St, the order was given to advance, and 
soon the mixed host of soldiers, teamsters, and 
civilians moved forward in the direction of the 
enemy's lines. That the authorities permitted a 
large number of the last-named class to accom- 



A HOST OF CIVILIANS. 45 

pany the army to the immediate vicinity of the 
field of battle, was a most deplorable error, and 
can only be accounted for on the supposition that 
the impression was pretty general that the destruc- 
tion of the entire rebel army was considered a 
sure thing, and that all that was necessary was to 
march forward and capture it. Had everything 
gone well, their presence would probably not have 
been a misfortune ; but at the first indications of 
a disaster occurring to the army, they were sure 
to flee to the rear like a flock of frightened sheep. 
So, at least, it proved in this case. When the first 
few regiments gave way, the host of civilians, who 
had approached as near as prudence would allow, 
to witness the destruction of the rebels, fled to 
get out of the way ; and in almost an incredibly 
short time, the road to Centreville was filled with 
these people, who evidently had now witnessed all 
the battle scenes they desired to see ; and, among 
the torrent of humanity that fled in such hot haste 
from the battle-field to Washinofton on that disas- 
trous day. Congressmen, Government officials, 
politicians, and other civilians, took the most 
prominent part ; and as they had kept in the rear 
of the army in the forward movement, they now 
as determinedly kept in the van, and the most de- 
moralized, fleet-footed blue-coat was no match 
with them in the race to o^et into the fortifications 

o 

at Washino^ton. 

Gen. Tyler's division, accompanied by Gen. 



46 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

McDowell In person, pressed directly on to the 
stone bridge that crossed Bull Run, and at about 
six o'clock opened fire on the enerpy, who were 
intrenched In strong force on the opposite side of 
the stream. The divisions of Hunter and Helnt- 
zelman crossed Cub Run, and making a circuit of 
three or four miles, crossed Bull Run at Sudley, 
about three miles above the stone bridee. This 
movement placed the two divisions on the flank of 
the rebel army, and was In accordance with Gen. 
McDowell's plan of battle, which was to merely 
menace the enemy's right and centre In the begin- 
ning of the engagement, while the main attack 
would be made by Hunter and Helntzelman on 
the left. 

The object of this strong concentration of troops 
on the right of the Union lines was to turn the 
left of the enemy's position in such a manner as 
to drive it back on its centre at the stone bridge, 
where Tyler's division was in line ready to cross 
the bridge and complete the defeat of the enemy. 
Miles' division was kept at Centrevllle as a re- 
serve, and for the purpose of guarding against an 
attack from the direction of Blackburn's Ford. 
That the plan of battle was a most admirable one, 
and failed of success only by a combination of 
circumstances which are often the overruling fatal- 
ities of war, and that Gen. McDowell can in no 
way be held accountable for the disaster that 
followed, there can be no doubt. Unfortunately 



DISASTROUS DELAY. 47 

for the success of the movement on the enemy's 
left, the most of the troops were newly organized 
into brigades and divisions, and the inexperience 
of some of the officers caused a delay of several 
hours in the morning, before the two flanking di- 
visions were properly on the way, and it was fully 
eleven o'clock before the column was in position 
on the enemy's left. When the distance from 
Centreville to the battle-field is remembered, it can 
easily be comprehended that had the Union force 
consisted of old and tried soldiers, and all the di- 
visions, brigades, and regiments been led by ex- 
perienced officers, the column might have been in 
line ready to commence the assault by at least 
seven o'clock. 

This delay was most unfortunate, for had the 
movement been made before daylight, as was 
McDowell's intention, the position desired would 
have been obtained without the rebels under- 
standinof the intention of the Union commander ; 
but the nature of the ground is such that Beaure- 
gard, from his position on the south side of the 
stream, could see plainly all the movements of the 
troops on the north side, and consequently was 
prepared for the assault. 

As already stated, Gen. Tyler's division, direcdy 
after arriving at the stone bridge, opened a brisk 
fire with artillery on the enemy's position. The 
rebels paid very litde attention to this attack, not 
even replying with artillery to the fire of tiie 



48 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Union guns. Gen. Beauregard, who was fully 
aware that this was only a demonstration to cover 
the real assault on his position, was moving the 
main body of his troops to the left wing of his 
army, to meet the shock that he knew would soon 
fall like a thunderbolt on that part of his line. 

The fire of Tyler's batteries eliciting no reply 
from the rebels, he ordered several regiments to 
advance and reconnoiter the enemy's position. 
These troops soon encountered the rebels, and 
became severely engaged ; but owing to the great 
strength of the enemy's position, they were com- 
pelled to retire with heavy loss. The rebels had 
a number of batteries so concealed as to be invis- 
ible to the Union troops, until they w^ere opened 
on with a torrent of shot and shell that compelled 
them to retire from the unequal contest. As 
the Union troops fell back, Gen. McDowell or- 
dered Carlisle's battery of heavy guns to move to 
the front, and open fire on the rebel batteries. 
This was accomplished in the most gallant style, 
and the terrific and accurate fire of these oruns 
soon silenced several of the enemy's batteries. 

In the meantime the divisions of Hunter and 
Heintzelman had succeeded in ofettinsf into line. 
Hunter's division was on the right, and after the 
advance brigade, commanded by Gen. Burnside, 
crossed Bull Run at Sudley Springs, and was 
marchinof down the south side of the stream, he 
was opened upon with a heavy fire of artillery 



BATTLE AT BULL RUN. 49 

and infantry. He, however, pressed on, driving 
the rebels for some distance when, encountering 
a vastly greater number of the enemy, his further 
advance was for a short time checked. The re- 
mainder of Hunter's division was soon brought 
into action, and after the most desperate fighting, 
the enemy was compelled to give way, contesting, 
however, every foot of ground with the fiercest 
determination. As the Union column advanced 
they were met with the most furious volleys from 
Infantry and artillery r but most gallantly they 
pressed on. In spite of the great advantage of the 
enemy in position and numbers, their extreme left 
wing was being turned and driven from the field; 
and the victorious shouts of Hunter's men, as they 
pursued the retreating foe, were re-echoed by 
Helntzelman's men, whose division had crossed 
the stream about half the way between Sudley's 
Springs and the stone bridge, and was also 
fiercely engaged with the enemy. The larger 
part of Tyler's division had also crossed the stone 
bridge and engaged the enemy, and the battle now 
became general along the entire line. It was at this, 
time that the gallant Irish regiment, the Sixty-ninth 
New York volunteers, made the famous charge 
so characteristic of the heroic bravery of the Irish 
soldier. The battle now raged with miost Intense 
fury. The rapid volleys of musketry, the thun- 
dering of cannon, the shouts of the victorious 
Federals as they forced the rebels from the field, 
4 



50 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

the frantic yells of the maddened rebels as they 
were compelled to yield one position after an- 
other, made an indescribable scene. The rebels 
fought with the utmost desperation, and as the 
Union troops pressed forward, they were con- 
fronted with battery after battery, and line after 
line of troops, who poured a continued volley of 
shot into their ranks. Occasionally a furious 
charge from the enemy would compel the Fede- 
rals to fall back, only to again press forward to 
dislodge their assailants. The tide of battle was 
now decidedly in favor of the Union army, and in 
spite of the desperate fighting of the rebels, the 
general nature of the contest was everywhere 
favorable to the Union forces. The Federal right 
wing had completely rolled up the rebels' left, 
which was slowly but surely being forced back on 
the centre of their line, or in the direction of the 
stone bridge, where Tyler's division was prepared 
to receive it, and complete the rebel defeat. A 
part of his division had not yet crossed the bridge, 
it being held in reserve to strike the enemy at the 
critical moment. Gen. Jos. E. Johnston, the ablest 
commander in the Southern army, was on the 
field with most of the troops who had slipped Pat- 
terson at Winchester, and was personally direct- 
inor the movement of the Confederate forces. 
He and Gen. Beauregard were making the most 
frantic efforts to stop the further retreat of their 
commands, but according to their own acknowl- 



VICTORY AT HAND. 5t 

edgments in vain ; and at i p. m., in spite of 
all the advantages the rebels possessed in fighting 
from fortified positions, which were constructed in 
such a manner that every repulse would enable 
them to fall back into intrenchments, and concen- 
trate a terrific fire on their assailants from masked 
batteries, the Union troops were everywhere suc- 
cessful. The toils were now slowly but surely 
infolding the rebel army with a circle of death, 
that would have insured the destruction of its 
entire force, had not an event now occurred 
which turned the tide of battle, and reversed the 
order of things to such an extent that, what pro- 
mised to be a most decided victory, was turned to 
a disgraceful defeat. To prove that the rebels 
were completely whipped at this period of the bat- 
tle, it is only necessary to refer to their own pub- 
lished accounts. The correspondent of the 
Louisville Courier said, in describing the battle : 

"The fortunes of the day were evidently 
against us. Some of our best ofificers had been 
slain, and the flower of our army lay strewn on 
the field, ghastly in death or gaping with wounds. 
At noon the cannonading is described as terrific. 
It was an incessant roar for more than two hours, 
the havoc and devastation at this time being fear- 
ful. McDowell, with the aid of Patterson s division 
of 20,000 men, had nearly outfla^iked us, and they 
were just in the act 0/ possessing themselves of the 
railway to Richmond. Then all would have been 



52 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

lost, Buty most Opportunely — I may say, providen- 
tially — at this juncture, Gen. Johns ton ^ with the 
remnant of his division — an army, as we fondly 
call ity for we have been friends and brothers in 
camp and field for three months — reappeared^ and 
made one other desperate struggle to obtain the 
vantage ground. Elzey's brigade of Marylanders 
and Virginians led the charge ; and right manfully 
did they execute the work." 

The correspondent of the Richmond Dispatch 
wrote as follows : 

" Between 2 and 3 o'clock large numbers of 
men were leaving the field, some of them 
wounded, others exhausted by the long struggle, 
who gave us gloomy reports ; but as the firing on 
both sides continued steadily, we felt sure that our 
brave Southerners had not been conquered by the 
overwhelming hordes of the North. It is, how- 
ever, due to truth to say that the result at this 
hour hung trembling in the balance. We had 
lost numbers of our most distinofuished officers. 
Gens. Barton and Bee had been stricken down ; 
Lieut. Col. Johnson, of the Hampton Legion, had 
been wounded. But there was at hand the fear- 
less general whose reputation as a commander 
was staked on this battle. Gen. Beauregard 
promptly offered to lead the Hampton Legion 
into action, which he executed in a style unsur- 
passed and unsurpassable. Gen. Beauregard 
rode up and down our lines, between the enemy 



THE CRITICAL MOMENT. 53 

and his own men, regardless of the heavy fire, 
cheering and encouraging our troops. About 
this time a shell struck his horse, taking his head 
off, and killing the horses of his aids, Messrs. 
Ferguson and Hayward. * * * 

"Gen. Johnston also threw himself into the 
thickest of the fight, seizing the colors of a Geor- 
gia regiment, and rallying them to the charge. 
His staff signalized themselves by their intrepidity, 
Col. Thomas being killed and Major Mason 
wounded. 

"Your correspondent heard Gen. Johnston say 
to Gen. Cocke, just at the critical moment, *Oh, 
for four regiments !' His wish was answered, for 
in the distance our reinforcements appeared. The 
tide of battle was turned in our favor by the ar- 
rival of Gen. Kirby Smith from Winchester, with 
4,000 men of Gen. Johnston's division. * * 

"They were at first supposed to be the enemy, 
their arrival at that point of the field being en- 
tirely unexpected. The enemy fell back, and a 
panic seized them. Cheer after cheer from our 
men went up, and we knew the battle had been 
won ! " 

Gen. Beauregard, in his official report, says : 

"Now, however, with the surging mass of over 
14,000 Federal infantry pressing on their front, 
and under the incessant fire of at least twenty 
pieces of artillery with the fresh brigades of Sher- 
man and Keyes approaching — the latter already 



54 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

in musket-range — our lines gave back, but under 
orders from Gen. Bee. 

"The enemy, maintaining their fire, pressed 
their swelHng masses onward as our shattered 
battalions retired: the slaughter for the moment 
was deplorable, and has filled many a Southern 
home with life-lone sorrow." 

When Johnston, with the most of his command, 
left Winchester to re-enforce Beaureeard, Gen. 
Kirby Smith's brigade was left to watch Gen. 
Patterson ; but the rebel commander, finding he 
had absolutely nothing to fear from that officer, 
ordered it also to Bulk Run, and it was the unfor- 
tunate arrival of these troops that turned the tide 
of batde in favor of the rebel arms. The rebel 
brigade was being moved on the railroad, and as 
It approached Gainesville — a small village on the 
Manassas Gap Railroad — Smith heard the roar of 
battle. He immediately stopped the train, and 
unloading his men, marched them across the fields 
to the field of battle at the very moment when his 
services would be of the most benefit to the rebel 
cause. A brigade of rebel troops commanded by 
Gen. Early, which had just arrived from Rich- 
mond, and had not yet been engaged, formed on 
the right of Smith, and the two brigades advanced 
to the assault in the most gallant style. The 
frantic yells and cries of the advancing rebel host, 
which could be seen emerofinof from the woods, 
and which appeared to make their number almost 



THE PANIC. 55 

innumerable, struck dismay into several Union 
regiments in the immediate front of the advancinor 
enemy, who commenced to give way, and in a few 
moments broke completely and fled from the 
field. The reofiment on the extreme left of the 
Union lines, which was still fighting desperately to 
hold in check the advancing host of the enemy, 
discovering that a part of the line had given way, 
and that the rebel column was wmding itself 
around their left, thus threatening to cut off their 
retreat, and not being able to see or hear of a 
sincde regiment beincr sent to their relief, now 
commenced to fall back, at first contesting fiercely 
with the enemy ; but at last becoming panic- 
stricken, they broke and fled in dismay from the 
field. The panic now spread with fearful rapid- 
ity from one part of the line to the other, and 
then ensued that stampede that will always be a 
blot on the history of the Union army ; regiment 
after regiment now broke and fled in the utmost 
confusion*! To add to the terror and confusion of 
the scene, a body of rebel cavalry chiarged on a 
number of unarmed teamsters, who had been left 
most injudiciously to advance with their teams to 
a position where they would be in the way, and 
could not be withdrawn in case of a retreat. 

In an almost incredibly short time, regiments 
of infantry, squadrons of cavalry, batteries of ar- 
tillery, teams without teamsters, ambulances— in 
short, almost all that was in the front, came rush- 



56 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

ing across the field and down the road toward 
Centrevllle. At this place the presence of Miles* 
division, which kept an unbroken front, and 
calmly awaited the approach of the victorious 
rebels, had the effect of reassuring some of the 
fugitives, and to some extent restoring order but 
a large number of the troops which had broken 
continued their fliofht in the direction of Washine- 
ton, and did not stop until they found themselves 
safe inside of its fortifications. The host of civil- 
ians that had fled at the first alarm were well on 
their way to Washington by the time the panic- 
stricken soldiers reached Centreville, which no 
doubt accounted for the pedestrian victory which 
they had won over the blue-coats in getting to 
that place. The rebels appear to have been as- 
tonished at the flight of their foes, who had fought 
so desperately all day, and made very little effort 
to pursue or take any advantage of their unex- 
pected victory. Their cavalry did advance in the 
direction of Centreville, but getting a v!^w of the 
fifth division, which was eagerly awaiting their 
attack, and a volley from Blenker's rifle brigade, 
they fell back In haste to their old position along 
Bull Run. They evidently considered their vic- 
tory as being won merely by a lucky accident, and 
that It would be best to let well enough alone. 
This defeat and retreat of the Union army, al- 
though disastrous and Important in Its results, 
was most outrageously exaggerated by the press, 



DEFEAT. 5 7 

and all kind of theories, but the right one, were 
advanced by the military editors of the North 
to account for the disaster. 

The army was declared to be destroyed, and 
the number of killed and wounded was some- 
times stated greater than the number engaged. 
Washington was declared to be perfectly at the 
mercy of the enemy, and its capture a foregone 
conclusion. These stories were, however, the re- 
sults of the exaggerated reports brought to the 
Capital by the fleet-footed, panic-stricken racers, 
who fled to Washington and represented all killed 
but themselves. 

The .arrival of Runyon's division, and later that 
of Miles, Richardson's brigade, as well as smaller 
organizations whose ranks were unbroken, and 
who marched back to their old camp in perfect 
order, o-ave a more reassurlne view of the situa- 
tlon ; and by the time the official account of the 
battle was given, the fact was ascertained that, 
serious as the disaster was, It was not nearly so 
bad as at first represented. The Union loss was 
officially reported as being four hundred and 
eighty-one killed, one thousand and eleven 
wounded, and one thousand two hundred and 
sixteen misslne. The missing Included the num- 
ber who had escaped the slaughter and then de- 
serted the service. Gen. Hunter was severely, 
and Gen. Helntzelman slightly, wounded, and 
among the Union killed was Col. James Cameron, 



58 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

of the 79th New York Volunteers, and brother 
of Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War. The 
rebel loss was hardly less, although reported to 
be so by Gen. Beauregard. A rebel officer, De- 
Kay, who was in the battle, in a letter to the 
Louisville Courier, said : 

" Our loss is fully two thousand • in killed and 
wounded. Among the killed are Gen. Bee of 
South Carolina ; Gen. Bartow, of Georgia ; Col. 
Moore and all of the Alabama field officers ; Col. 
Fisher and all of the North Carolina field officers ; 
Adjutant Brush, and a host of leading men." 

Other reports also show that the rebel loss, In 
officers especially, was very great ; and as nearly 
as can be ascertained, the loss in the two armies 
was about equal. The entire number of troops 
that marched with McDowell from Washino-ton to 

o 

Centreville was about 30,000 men of all arms. 
Runyon's division was not in his command, and 
did not advance farther than to Fairfax Court 
House. Miles' division, the smallest In his com- 
mand, did not take any part in the engagement. 
Richardson's brigade, of Tyler's division, was in 
position about two miles from Centreville, on 
Blackburn's Ford road, and did not take any part 
In the fighting on the twenty-first; so the actual 
number of men that were engaged did not exceed 
20,000 men. 

The rebel force has been variously estimated ; 
but from the most reliable Information that can 



FORCES ENGAGED. 59 

be gathered, it numbered about 36,000 men. All 
— or, at least, very nearly all — took part in the 
eneaeement. The Southern historian, Pollard, in 
describing the battle, says : " Our effective force 
of all arms on the field on the eventful mornine 
was less than 30,000 men." How many less he 
does not say, but it is not to be supposed that he 
meant more than a few hundred ; and as that was 
before the brigades of Kirby Smith and Early 
came on the ground, it can be easily seen that the 
rebel force could not have been less than 36,000 
men. Julius Bing, an intelligent English citizen, 
who was on the ground as a spectator, was cap- 
tured by the rebels and sent to Gen. Beaure- 
gard's headquarters, and who appears to have 
had good opportunities to find out the strength 
of the Southern army, says their force was 40,000 
men, and describes It as follows : 

"Beauregard's force at Bull Run was 27,000, 
which was increased by the arrival of Johnston, 
on the day before the battle, by 8,000, and by 
5,000 more during the engagement." 

That the rebels, who had all the advantages in 
position and numbers, should win the victory is 
not strange, and can reflect no dishonor on the 
Union troops. A retreat under the" circumstances 
was perfectly justifiable ; but it was made in too 
precipitate -a manner, and continued too long, for 
the credit of the men who had acted so heroically 
just before the panic seized them. The Impres- 



6o BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

sion — at one time so general In the North, and still 
maintained by some writers — that the rebels could 
have marched their army into Washington and 
captured it, had they pursued our demoralized 
army, is not sustained by facts. According to 
their own admissions, they had been severely 
punished, and were in no condition to make a 
very vigorous movement in pursuit ; and had one 
been attempted, the Federals could have con- 
fronted them at Fairfax Court House with the 
two full divisions of Miles and Runyon, Richard- 
son's brigade, and at least a considerable portion 
of the better class of soldiers in the broken or- 
ganizations, making a force fully as strong as the 
part of the army that made the attempt, and 
came so near whipping the rebels in their strongly 
intrenched position. At this place the Union 
troops would have been entirely on the defensive, 
and on ground of their own choosing, so the 
chances of success would certainly have been 
better than it was on the field at Manassas. The 
mass of panic-stricken fugitives were from the 
two divisions of Hunter and Heintzelman, which 
had also borne the brunt of the battle ; but it must 
not be supposed that these two divisions were 
entirely routed, or In such a condition that no 
troops from them could have been made use of in 
a second action. Some of the better organiza- 
tions. Including the regulars, although compelled 
to fall back when the panic took place, were still, 



THE CAPITALS PERIL. 6l 

however, in a condition to make a desperate re- 
sistance, had the occasion presented itself. Run- 
yon's division had reached Fairfax Court House, 
and here, joined by Miles' division and Richard- 
son's brigade, it could have formed a nucleus for 
the broken organizations to rally around, so that, 
had the rebels pursued and attacked them In this 
position. It would have almost certainly resulted in 
a defeat to the rebel arms. But had the enemy 
pursued, and the Federal commander declined to 
give battle, and retreated with his force to Wash- 
ington, the idea of the Capital falling into the 
hands of the pursuers is not only Improbable, but 
extremely absurd; for, by the time the rebel army 
would have reached the Potomac river, the Gov- 
ernment would have withdrawn Patterson's 22,- 
000 men from Harper's Ferry, about half that 
many from Baltimore, and with the full division 
of troops en route then from the State of Penn- 
sylvania to Washington, the Federal force would 
have amounted to more than 80,000 men; and It 
is not very reasonable to suppose that this large 
body of men could have been forced from Its 
strong fortifications by 35,000 rebel troops, who 
already had been severely punished by 20,000 of 
their foes, and that, when fighting on ground of 
their own chooslnof. 

The idea is perfectly ridiculous, and the fact of 
its ever being believed In the North can only be 
accounted for on the theory that the Northern 



62 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

people expected such astounding results from the 
movement, and had so fully made up their minds, 
that it would result in the destruction of the entire 
rebel army, that when they found that, instead of 
their expectations being realized, it was really a 
defeat, they became so astonished, disappointed, 
and so full of indignation, that they ran directly 
in the other extreme, and the rebel army, which 
was to fall so easy a prey to the prowess of the 
North, was now magnified into an army of invin- 
cibles, that could storm the forts and intrench- 
ments of Washington, even when manned by a 
force of Federals exceedino^ their own number two 
or three times. The army of new, green soldiers, 
who had really performed prodigious feats of valor 
on the plains of Manassas, and were only defeated 
by a combination of adverse circumstances that 
might well have beaten an equal number of the 
best veteran soldiers, were now belittled in a 
manner which was as disorraceful as it was unofen- 
erous and uncalled for. 

Gen. McDowell, who had handled his troops 
with great skill and gallantry, and who, had the 
promise given to him when he left Washington 
that he would not have any of Johnston's men to 
fight, been fulfilled, would have destroyed Beau- 
regard's forces, came in for a full share of the 
blame. He was declared incompetent, and not a 
few, who had more patriotism than knowledge or 
good sense, declared that he was a traitor to his 



CAUSE OF DISASTER. 6^ 

country. Had Johnson been prevented from 
coming In the field, McDowell would certainly 
have been successful, and then the public that 
now denounce him would have declared that he 
was the greatest soldier of the age ! Such are 
the fortunes of war. 

Much has been said, and many theories ad- 
vanced, as to the cause of the disaster, and In the 
excitement and alarm which followed the battle, 
much was written that was sheer nonsense. The 
fact of Miles' division being kept at Centrevllle 
during the engagement, has been severely criti- 
cised, on the ground that It was too far In the rear 
to be of any service as a reserve, should a defeat 
threaten the army. That would be a strong ar- 
gument, had the division been kept there for no 
other purpose than a reserve. But It must be 
remembered that It was kept at Centrevllle more 
especially for the purpose of guarding against 
an attack by the way of Blackburn's Ford, than as 
a reinforcement for the stormlnof column In front. 
Had such not been the case It would have been 
moved close to Tyler's division, at the stone 
bridge. It does not require a very careful exam- 
ination, however, of the battle-field to discover that 
such a step would have been highly dangerous. It 
does not appear probable, either, that Gen Mc- 
Dowell believed that the services of this division 
would be required to storm the rebel position ; but 
if he had any doubt In regard to that matter, he 



64 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

certainly knew that to move Miles from his posi- 
tion would endanger his rear, and in case of a 
rebel advance across Bull Run at Blackburn's 
Ford, cut off his retreat and communications to 
Washinorton. 

The rebel line of fortifications extended from 
a short distance below Blackburn's Ford, along 
the south side of Bull Run, to within about one 
mile of Sudley Springs. The distance from Cen- 
treville to the stone bridge is seven miles, south; 
and Sudley Springs three miles farther distant, 
and northwest from the bridge. Blackburn's 
Ford is southeast of Centreville, and distant about 
three miles. As already stated, the advance of 
Richardson's brigrade on Blackburn's Ford road 
was only intended as a feint, and to strengthen 
Miles' division, should the rebels make an attempt 
to advance in force on Centreville. The advance 
of Tyler to the stone bridge, although a more 
serious demonstration, was to divert the attention 
of the rebels from the main assault to be made 
by the two divisions of Hunter and Heintzelman, 
on the left of the enemy's position at Sudley 
Springs, The nature of the ground is such that, 
while the rebel leaders could watch the move- 
ments of the Union troops, they could move their 
own from one end of the line to the other without 
being discovered ; so it can easily be seen how 
important a position the troops at Centreville oc- 
cupied during the battle. The advance of Hun- 



OPINIONS ON THE FIGHT. 65 

ter's and Helntzelman's divisions to Sudley's 
Springs, ten miles to the right, and Tyler's to the 
stone bridge, without leaving Centreville guarded 
against an advance from the enemy's right — but 
three miles distant — would certainly have been a 
very dangerous experiment, as the rebels could 
have marched, unobserved, a considerable num- 
ber of men on their right, and in an hour*s march 
gained the rear of the Union army. The con- 
sequences would have been the capture of the 
trains containing the ammunition and supplies for 
the Union army, and a stampede would have 
followed without the advantage of an open line 
of retreat. That the rebels would have taken 
advantage of the advance of Miles' division is 
fully borne out by the fact that they did advance 
troops on the road to Centreville, to feel the 
strength of the Union lines at that place, and 
were driven back by Davis' brigade and the artil- 
lery belonging to Miles' division. Gen. Beaure- 
gard, in his official report, says : 

" 1 sent orders to Gen. Ewell, holding my ex- 
treme right at the Union Mills' Ford, next south 
of Blackburn, to advance and attack ; and they did 
advance a mile toward Centreville, on the Union 
Mills' road, but retreated again under a sharp fire 
of artillery." 

That Gen. McDowell made a skillful and judi- 
cious disposition of his command, and only failed 
to win a decisive victory from circumstances 



66 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

which he could not control, and for which others 
are responsible, there can be no reasonable doubt. 
The mistake was in not sending Runyon's divi- 
sion to Centreville, instead of leaving it back so 
far in the rear, where it could be of no earthly 
good for anything or to any one. This would 
have enabled McDowell to move Miles' division 
in supporting distance of his assaulting column ; 
but as McDowell did not control Runyon's com- 
mand, that mistake cannot be Imputed to him. 

A number of adverse events occurred which 
helped to bring about the disaster ; but the first 
great mistake was in hurrying the army from 
Washington before it was properly organized, 
drilled, and fitted for the campaign, and before it 
was strong enough for the accomplishment of the 
great work before it. It was also a serious 
blunder in not having a sufficient amount of am- 
munition with the army when It reached Centre- 
ville. This neglect caused a delay of twenty-four 
hours, which prevented the battle from being 
fought before the troops of Kirby Smith, and 
Early came on the field. The host of citizens and 
non-combatants on the ground ; the length of time 
taken by Hunter and Heintzelman to get their 
commands into position ; the superior numbers of 
the enemy, and the strongly-fortified positions 
they occupied ; the Inexperience of a number of 
Union officers, and a want of proper knowledge 
of the strength of the enemy's position — were all 



GOOD OUT OF EVIL. 67 

serious disadvantages to the success of the Union 
arms. With all these disadvantages, however, 
Gen. McDowell would have beaten Gen. Beaure- 
gard from the field, had not the rebel troops that 
slipped Gen. Patterson arrived on the ground at 
the critical moment, and turned the tide of battle 
In favor of the enemy. 

The battle of Manassas, although a defeat to 
the Union array, was not, in the full acceptance of 
the word, a great national disaster, as all at first 
believed it to be, for the light of subsequent 
events has fully revealed the fact that the defeat 
of the Union forces in that battle was productive 
of more good than evil to the country. The suc- 
cess of the Union forces would have been suc- 
ceeded by a still further disregard of the extent 
of the rebellion, and of the means required to 
crush It out. The grand hunt for rebels by the 
"grand army" in the direction of Richmond would 
have become more popular than ever, the number 
of spectators and bummers would have greatly 
increased, and the small army pressed forward by 
a still lower estimate of the prowess of the enemy, 
would have been met by a rapidly-concentrating 
Confederate army at Richmond, and compelled to 
fiofht when two or three times as strono^ as at 
Manassas, and a defeat would have followed to 
which Bull Run would have been no comparison. 

And had it been possible to make the victory 
so decisive as to crush out the rebellion, the great 



68 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

curse which was the cause of It would have re- 
mained, and the Union would have been restored 
with the same disturbing element to keep up a 
constant discord, and before many years again to 
plunge the country into war. The defeat was 
also beneficial from the fact that the people, now 
sobered, stopped boasting, and went to work to 
prepare for the mighty conflict before them ; and 
in a short time a well armed, drilled and equipped 
force of several hundred thousand men was in the 
field ready to confront the foe. 



CHAPTER III. 

DEPARTURE OF m'cLELLAN's ARMY FOR THE 
PENINSULA. • 

A FTER the battle of Manasses, the Federal 
'^ Government made a requisition on the loyal 
States for a large number of troops. This call was 
promptly responded to, and as the Capital was be- 
lieved to be in the most imminent danger, a very 
large portion of these new troops were gathered 
in and about that place. The fortifications also 
were greatly strengthened, and every preparation 
made to make it impregnable. It was known that 
the rebel army at Manassas was being strongly 
reinforced from all parts of the South, and it was 
daily expected that an advance from that direc- 
tion would be made on the Capital, or for the 
purpose of attempting an invasion of the North. 
It was, therefore, felt to be highly necessary to place 
the Capital in such a fortified position that a small 
garrison could hold It against an attack, and leave 
the main part of the army free to operate against 
the enemy. 

The south side of the Potomac, in front of 
Washington, was strongly fortified before the 
battle of Manassas, but the city was ill protected 
on the north side, and immediate steps were 

(69) 



70 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

taken to fortify It against an attack from any direc- 
tion. A considerable number of troops were 
also kept along the river above the Capital, to 
guard against an attempt of the enemy to cross 
over. 

Gen. George B. McClellan, whose brilliant ser- 
vices In West VIrorinIa had brouofht his name 
into great prominence, was called to Washington 
to take command of the Union forces. Gen. 
Scott, although not removed from office until later, 
was virtually set aside by the foundation of a new 
military district. This department Included the 
troops in Washington and North-eastern Virginia, 
and to Its command McClellan was appointed. 
The troops were immediately organized into bri- 
gades and divisions, and the most energetic mea- 
sures taken to drill and discipline the troops, and 
to form an army equal to the great task of crush- 
ing the armed hosts of treason, who had gathered 
in front of the Capital of the Nation. 

The formation of the army Into corps was not, 
however, effected until March, 1862, just before 
the army left on the Peninsula campaign. On the 
15th of October, McClellan reported the number 
of troops of all arms in and about Washington, 
including all along the Potomac south of Harper's 
Ferry and at Baltimore, at 152,025 men. This 
estimate did not Include Gen. Banks' troops at 
Harper's Ferry. During the following winter the 
time was occupied In drilling and fitting the army 



ORGANIZING THE ARMY. 7 1 

for the spring campaign, and by that time the best 
drilled and disciplined army undoubtedly ever 
marshaled on the American continent was ready 
to take the field. The ninety-day hallucination 
had now been effectually dispelled, and the men 
who composed the army had enlisted for two or 
three years, and expected that hard blows would 
be necessary to put down the Rebellion. All 
were volunteers, not a conscript then, as yet, be- 
ing In the army ; and the morale of the army was 
certainly better than at any time during the war. 
The lines of this magnificent array of men ex- 
tended from Alexandria to Plerrpont, Virginia, atid 
presented a solid phalanx to any attempt that 
might be made by the rebels against the Federal 
Capital. The army in front of Washington w^as 
now known as " The Army of the Potomac." 

On the eighth of March, this force was divided 
Into four army corps. These were commanded 
by Gens. McDovv^ell, Sumner, Helntzelman, and 
Keyes. On the nth of March President Lincoln 
Issued an order confinlnof McClellan's command 
to these four corps, the troops along the Potomac 
above and below Washinofton and In Baltimore, 
being taken from It. On the following day, Mc- 
Clellan was ordered by the President to advance 
on the enemy's position at Centrevllle and Ma- 
nassass. The President had, as early as the middle 
of January, prepared an order for the army to 
move on to Richmond by way of Manassas ; but 



72 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Gen. McClellan made some objection to that 
route, and argued that it would be better to attack 
Richmond by first concentrating the principal 
portion of the army at Annapolis, Md., and then 
ship them down the Chesapeake Bay and up the 
Rappahannock river to the town of Urbanna, then 
march them across the country to Richmond, and 
capture it before the enemy could concentrate a 
strong force to defend it. The city of Washing- 
ton had been made as strong by fortifying during 
the winter as engineering science could make It, 
and McClellan believed that a small force could 
successfully defend It against any attempt that 
could be made by the enemy in the absence of the 
greater portion of the army. A council of war^ 
composed of twelve of the most prominent officers 
in the army, was held, and to them was submitted 
the two plans of operation, as proposed by the 
President and Gen. McClellan. These officers 
almost unanimously favored the route as pro- 
posed by McClellan, and the President at first 
yielded to their judgment ; but as the rebels had 
blockaded the lower part of the Potomac, and he 
believed that the plan would not interfere with 
the rebel batteries, he became alarmed for the 
safety of the Capital, and would not consent to 
the withdrawal of so large a portion of the army 
from Its defense until the rebel line was driven 
from the river. He issued an order " that no 
more than two army corps of said army of the 



THE ARMY MOVING. 73 

Potomac should be moved en route for a new 
base of operations until the navigation of the Po- 
tomac from Washingtion to the Chesapeake Bay 
shall be freed from the enemy's batteries, and 
other obstructions, or until the President shall 
hereafter give express permission." 

This order effectually broke up the plan as 
proposed by McClellan, and the order was 
given to move on Richmond by way of Manassas 
Junction. Gen. McClellan issued a spirited proc- 
lamation to his command, in which he stated that 
they had been thoroughly organized and drilled, 
and that the time for action had arrived. He 
urged them to discharge "all the duties that may 
devolve on them with bravery and fidelity." About 
this time, however, it was discovered that the 
enemy were evacuating their position along the 
lower Potomac, and withdrawing from the front 
of the Union army. 

It was believed that the intention of the rebels 
was to concentrate all their forces on the old 
battle-field of Bull Run, and the army advanced 
In that direction to orive battle. As the advance 
of the Federal troops reached Centreville, the 
rebels fled, leaving a large amount of stores burn- 
ing, and the fact was soon after discovered that 
the entire rebel army was evacuating its strong 
position along the line of Bull Run, and the miles 
of fortifications they had erected with so much 
skill and labor fell into the hands of the Union 



74 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN.' 

troops without striking a blow. Much has been 
written in regard to the strength of this position, 
and of the number of Rebel troops who occupied it 
during the winter, when the Army of the Potomac 
was in camp in front of Washington, and it has 
often been contended that it was not larore enouorh 
to justify the inactivity of the Union forces during 
that time. A prominent writer, in writing about 
the hesitancy of the army to move at this time, 
said: "The loyal masses — awed by the obloquy 
heaped on them, falsely accused of having caused 
the disaster at Bull Run, by their ignorant impa- 
tience and precipitancy — stood in silent expecta- 
tion." As the writer of the above, before Fort 
Sumter was fired on advocated "letting the way- 
ward sisters depart in peace," but shortly after 
that event became so belligerent that he kept up 
a constant clamor about the inactivity of the 
army, and as he was responsible for a full share In 
creating the popular feeling which forced Mc- 
Dowell's undisciplined troops on the intrenched 
rebel position at Manassas, the reader can easily 
see with what silent expectation he looked on the 
scene. The same writer, in a published history 
of the war, in writino- about the streno-th of the 
rebel army at Manassas, after stating that McClel- 
lan estimated the rebel force in Eastern Virginia 
at about 1 50,000 men, says : "Judging by informa- 
tion received from 'contrabands' and deserters 
who came into our lines during the fall and winter, 



STRENGTH OF MANASSAS. 75 

the strength of the enemy could not have been 
more than 60,000 men." When the average in- 
tellieence of the Southern contraband and de- 
serter is taken into consideration, it can easily be 
understood how nearly correct their statements 
were likely to be. That the commander of the 
United States army, with all the advantages of 
having an able corps of detectives, spies and 
scouts at his command, would be likely to form a 
better estimate of the force of the enemy than the 
editor who received his information from the first- 
named class, is certainly more than probable. 

The possession of the rebel position at Ma- 
nassas did reveal the fact that more than one 
hundred thousand men had occupied it during the 
winter ; and so strong had the position been made, 
that had an advance been attempted as early as 
was demanded by the impatient North, a great 
national disaster would no doubt have been the 
result. 

Standing at Centreville, and looking east and 
west, as far as the eye could reach could be seen 
forts, mounted not only with field artillery, but 
with large-sized guns of the best pattern, and 
commanding every foot of ground for miles. 
South of this line, in the direction of Manassas 
Junction, a continuous wave of intrenchments met 
the view. From this position 50,000 men might 
well have repulsed twice that number of assail- 
ants, had the attack been made in front. McClel- 



76 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

lan's army, which was, however, considerably 
larger than the enemy's force when the final ad- 
vance was made, would have endeavored to out- 
flank their position west of Centreville, resorting 
to the same plan that McDowell had pursued ; and 
the superiority of his command would, In all pro- 
bability, have given him the victory. 

The rebels, for the purpose of concentrating 
their forces close to the Confederate Capital, 
evacuated their strong position, and, as the Union 
troops advanced, they fell back in the direction of 
the Rappahannock river, which they crossed, and 
then marched to the fortifications of the rebel 
Capital. The advance guard of the Union army 
pursued the rebels as far as the Rappahannock, 
when the pursuit was discontinued, and the entire 
army returned to the vicinity of Washington, It 
had now been decided to advance on Richmond 
by way of Yorktown and up the Peninsula. The 
army was rapidly marched to Alexandria, to which 
place transports had been ordered to carry the 
troops to Fortress Monroe. Gen. McClellan ex- 
pected to take with him for the reduction of Rich- 
mond the four corps constituting the Army of the 
Potomac, and had left Alexandria with the ad- 
vance of the army, when the President, who had 
been informed by some of his military advisers 
that McClellan was moving too many troops from 
Washington, ordered that McDowell's corps — the 
stronorest and most efficient should remain. 



OFF FOR THE PENINSULA. "]"] 

The embarkation had commenced on die 1 7di 
day of March, and by die close of die following 
day, the three army corps which constituted Mc- 
Clellan's command, numbering about 110,000 
men, had sailed for Fortress Monroe. Gen. 
McClellan had hoped to make a rapid movement 
on Yorktown before the enemy could concentrate 
their forces at that place ; but an unforeseen 
event occurred in the beginning of the campaign 
which caused a considerable delay. It appears 
that in planning the campaign the course of the 
short but deep stream known as the Warwick 
river was not perfectly understood, and it was 
not known that it ran directly across the Union 
army's line of march. It was found to be strongly 
fortified, and consequently, It considerably impeded 
the advance. 

The rebels, in the meantime, had been strongly 
reinforced at Yorktown, and by the time the 
Union forces arrived before its works, they found a 
force of between sixty and seventy thousand, and 
the place so strongly fortified as to be almost a 
Gibraltar in strencrdi. The defences were found 
to be too strong to carry by assault, so prepara- 
tions were immediately made to lay siege to the 
place. The rebel Gen. Magruder had been in 
command of this position with about 20,000 men ; 
but the rebel Government, finding the Federal 
army was marching on that place, advanced both 
Johnston and Lee to his assistance. McClellan 



78 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

approached the place by erecting counter-works, 
and the siege was progressing with great vigor, 
when suddenly, on the 3d of May, the enemy 
evacuated the place and retreated in the direction 
of Richmond. On the nio^ht of the evacuation the 
enemy kept up a heavy bombardment until mid- 
night, when, dismounting as many of the guns as 
they could take with them, they began to retreat 
and daylight revealed the fact that the immense 
forts and lone line of intrenchments were de- 
serted. The fruits of the victory were, however, 
considerable, seventy-one large cannon and a 
large amount of supplies falling into the hands of 
the Union troops. The abondonment of this 
strong position was one of the strangest events in 
the history of the war. The enemy had concen- 
trated the bulk of their army in Eastern Virginia 
at this place, fof the purpose of making the most 
earnest resistance to the further advance of the 
Union troops in the direction of their Capital. 
The place was made so strong that it would have 
been impossible to carry it by direct assault, and 
It would have required a considerable time to re- 
duce it by siege. 

Immediately after the retreat, McClellan ordered 
a vigorous pursuit, and the rear of the rebel 
army was overtaken by the Union advance under 
Gen. Stoneman, about two miles from Williams- 
burg, and a spirited engagement ensued in which 
the rebels were defeated and driven on their main 



FIGHTING ON THE PENINSULA. 79 

column, which had taken position at that place. A 
sanguinary battle ensued, and the rebels were 
again defeated, being driven from the field with 
heavy loss. The enemy left over 700 dead on the 
field. The fiorhtlnor on the Union side was done 
by the divisions of Hooker and Keyes. The bri- 
gade commanded by Gen. Hancock especially dis- 
tinguished Itself by a most brilliant flank move- 
ment on the left flank of the enemy's position, 
which decided the victory In favor of the Union 
arms. The enemy retreated In the direction of 
Richmond, and the Union troops continued the 
pursuit until the banks of the Chlckahomlny river 
were reached. Two days later, the enemy again 
suffered a defeat at West Point, on the York river. 
The division of troops ' commanded by Gen. 
Franklin had landed at that place to reinforce 
McClellan's army, and were directly after attacked 
by a strong force of rebels, who were defeated 
and driven back with severe loss. After this ac- 
tion, Franklin's troops formed a junction with 
McClellan's army, and the combined force contin- 
ued the pursuit of the enemy In the direction of 
Richmond. 

The two divisions of Keyes' corps, commanded 
by Gens. Casey and Couch, constituting the van 
of the Federal army, crossed the Chlckahomlny 
river about elo-ht miles from Richmond, and 
camped at a place known as the Seven Pines. 
The column crossed on one bridge, and as they 



8o BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

were considerably in advance of the remainder of 
the army, they occupied an isolated position, which 
proved most unfortunate. A heavy rain greatly 
increased the dangerous position of these troops, 
as the stream in their rear became so swollen that 
it would have been impossible to recross it at any 
place but on the frail bridge upon which they had 
crossed over, and which was now in momentary 
danger of being swept away. 

The enemy, discovering the dangerous position 
of these troops, immediately conceived the idea 
of destroying them before reinforcements could 
reach them. On Friday, May 30th, the enemy 
made a strong ^reconnoissance for the purpose of 
finding out the location of the Union camp ; and 
on the following day, after firing three shots as a 
signal for their assaultinof columns to advance, an 
immense rebel force rushed on the Union lines. 
To add to the misfortunes of the situation, Casey's 
division, which held the most advanced position 
of the Union line, was composed of the newest 
troops in the army, and at the time a very large 
number of the men were disabled by sickness. 
These troops, however, at first made a firm resist- 
ance, and for about one hour held the enemy at 
bay, but finally broke, and in spite of the most 
determined efforts of Gen. Casey, who, with all the 
skill, daring, and gallantry of the most accom- 
plished commander, was endeavoring to steady his 
line, the entire division was driven in confusion 



ON THE CHICKAHOMINY. Si 

from the field. Couch's division had also, by diis 
time, become severely engaged, and although fight- 
ing with the most desperate determination, it was 
borne down by superior numbers and was com- 
pelled to fall back. The situation was now most 
critical. The enraged enemy, fighting in sight of 
their Capital, swept over the field with frantic yells 
of raee and exultadon. The entire Federal line 
was slowly but surely being driven back to the 
banks of the Chickahomlny, which presented an 
impassable barrier. At this most critical moment, 
Gen. Sumner, at the head of Sedgwick, s division 
of his corps, who had been ordered to advance to 
tlio assistance of the hard-pressed Union troops^ 
arrived on the banks of the stream. The river 
was still rising rapidly, and the bridge was float- 
ing, and could only be kept in place a short time. 
Fortunately Gens. Sumner and Sedgwick were 
two of the greatest of soldiers, and as they took 
In the situation at a glance, they knew that the 
division must cross this bridge or certain destruc- 
tion fall on the troops on the other side, and they 
were not the sort of commanders to hesitate and 
make the plea that the same misfortune would 
probably overtake them should they advance to 
the assistance of their comrades. As the head of 
the division reached the bridge, the men hesitated, 
when Gen. Sumner shouted, "Forward, men ! your 
weight will keep It In place ! " The men, encour- 
aged by the presence of their great leader, sprang 
6 



82 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

on it with a will, and in an almost incredibly short 
time the entire division was in line of battle on 
the other side of the stream. General Sumner 
made a most judicious disposition of his com- 
mand, and the troops of Casey and Couch, re- 
assured by the presence of reinforcements, again 
formed line of battle and presented a solid front 
to the enemy. Fortunately a large number of 
rebels had stopped to search for plunder in the • 
camps the divisions of Casey and Couch had 
been driven from, and this gave Gen. Sumner a 
better chance to form his line. Never was time 
more industriously employed, and the Union line 
was soon in a position to mete out deadly ven- 
geance on the enemy for their first success. 

In the formation of the new line, Gen. Sumner 
ordered the 31st Pennsylvania, the ist Minnesota, 
and a New York regiment to lie down flat on the 
ground in such a position that they would be con- 
cealed from the enemy, and then ordered the 
Anderson Zouaves to form line in the rear of 
these regiments. This disposition was hardly 
more than made when the rebels rushed forward 
in immense numbers, expecting no doubt to finish 
the destruction of the Union forces. The bright, 
showy uniforms of the Zouaves soon attracted 
their attention, and they charged on the Union 
line with the greatest impetuosity. The hidden 
line reserved its fire until the enemy was al- 
most on top of them, when they poured into 



BATTLE OF SEVEN PINES. S^ 

their ranks a shower of lead which swept their 
lines like a maelstrom of death. 

Perhaps no volley fired from the same number 
of troops has ever resulted in such terrible de- 
struction to an enemy as that from those three 
regiments. The carnage was dreadful, the ground 
being literally heaped up with the dead. The 
enemy, dismayed by this dreadful repulse, broke 
in confusion, and the Union lines advancing, drove 
them from the held. This ended the battle of 
Seven Pines, or perhaps what might be more 
properly called the first day's fighting of the 
battle of Fair Oaks. The enemy, although se- 
verely repulsed at the end of the conflict, had the 
advantage, all things taken into consideration. 
They had captured and held Casey's camp, with 
all of its camp equipage and several batteries of 
artillery ; and no doubt the Union troops waited 
with great anxiety during the following night for 
the dawn of day, when the conflict was expected 
to open again. Important changes had, however, 
taken place during the night. Large reinforce- 
ments had arrived, and the followinof mornlnor* 
Sunday, June ist, found the Federals in strong 
battle line ready to confront the foe. Early in 
the morning the battle was renewed by the ad- 
vance of the enemy, who no doubt felt confident 
of completing the destruction of the Union troops. 
Gen. Hooker was ordered to make a counter- 
charge, and the battle soon opened furiously. 



84 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

The action soon spread along the entire line, 
and a battle of the fiercest description raged until 
TO o'clock, when the rebels gave way and were 
driven from the field. By 1 1 o'clock the battle 
was over, the Union troops having regained the 
position they had lost the day before. The 
Union loss, as officially reported by Gen. Mc- 
Clellan, was 5,739 in killed, wounded, and miss- 
ing. The loss of the enemy, as officially reported 
by Gen. Joe E. Johnston, was 6,697. After the 
battle of Fair Oaks, the loyal people of the North 
who expected that the fall of the rebel Capital 
would follow this victory, were considerably disap- 
pointed that no immediate advance was made by 
the Union troops. It was contended that, had 
such an advance been made before the rebels 
received reinforcements, as they shortly did. It 
would have resulted In the capture of Richmond. 
But such an advance at the time would have 
been a physical impossibility. The greater part 
of McClellan's forces had not yet crossed the 
Chickahomlny, and those which had, had been so 
severely handled as not to be In a condition to 
make a very vigorous pursuit of the enemy. 
The few bridges along the stream had been swept 
entirely away during the battle, and the high 
water overflowed the bottom to such an extent 
as to make It almost Impossible to move an army 
over it. 

The rebels had fought with a desperation un- 




BATTLE OF SEVEN PINES AND FAIR OAKS. 




BATTLE-FIELD OF THE SEVEN PINES. 



INTERRUPTED BY FLOODS. 85 

surpassed In modern times, and to attack them in 
the strong forts around Richmond, with the troops 
on the south side of the river, would have been 
sheer madness, and could only have resulted In a 
fearful repulse to the Union arms. 

The clamor In reofard to this matter arose from 
the fact that the people did not understand the 
situation, and were, therefore, unreasonably un- 
just. Gen. McClellan, In a dispatch to the Secre- 
tary of War, said : 

"On the 31st, when the battle of Fair Oaks 
began, we had two of our bridges nearly com- 
pleted ; but the rising waters flooded the log-way 
approaches, and made them almost Impassable, so 
that It was only by the greatest efforts that Gen. 
Sumner crossed his corps and participated in that 
hard-fouofht eno-aorement. The brldc^es became 
totally useless after this corps had passed, and 
others, on a more permanent plan, were com- 
menced. 

" On my way to headquarters, after the battle 
of Fair Oaks, I attempted to cross the bridge 
where Gen. Sumner had taken over his corps on 
the day previous. At the time Gen. Sumner 
crossed, this was the only available bridge above 
Bottom's bridge. I found the approach from the 
right bank, for some four hundred yards, sub- 
merged to the depth of several feet, and on reach- 
ing the place where the bridge had been, I found 
a great part of It carried away, so that I could not 



B6 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

o-et my horse over, and was obliged to send him 
to Bottom's bridge, six miles below, as the only 
practicable crossing. 

"The approaches to New and Mechanicsville 
brido-es were also overflowed, and both of them 
were enfiladed by the enemy's batteries, estab- 
lished on commanding heights on the opposite 
side. These batteries were supported by strong 
forces of the enemy, having numerous rifle-pits in 
their front, which would have made it necessary, 
even had the approaches been in the best possible 
condition, to have fought a sanguinary battle, with 
but little prospect of success, before a passage 
could have been secured. 

" The only available means, therefore, of uniting 
our forces at Fair Oaks for an advance on Rich- 
mond soon after the battle, was to march the 
troops from Mechanicsville, and other points on 
the left bank of the Chickahominy, down to Bot- 
tom's bridge, and thence over the Williamsburg 
road to the position near Fair Oaks, a distance of 
about twenty-three miles. In the condition of the 
roads at that time, this march could not have been 
made, with artillery, in less than two days, by 
which time the enemy could have been secure 
within the intrenchments around Richmond. In 
short, the idea of uniting the two wings of the 
army in time to make a vigorous pursuit of the 
enemy, with the prospect of overtaking him before 
he reached Richmond — only five miles distant 



PRECAUTIONS, 2>y 

from the field of battle — is simply absurd, and 
was, I presume, never for a moment seriously en- 
tertained by any one connected with the Army of 
the Potomac. An advance, involving the separa- 
tion of the two wings by the impassable Chicka- 
hominy, would have exposed each to defeat in 
detail. Therefore, I held the position already 
gained, and completed our crossings as rapidly as 
possible. 

"In the meantime, the troops at Fair Oaks 
were directed to strengthen their position by a 
strong line of intrenchments, which protected 
them while the bridges were being built, gave se- 
curity to the trains, liberated a larger fighting 
force, and offered a safer retreat in the event of 
disaster." 

Three days after the battle, Gen. McClellan, in 
a dispatch to the authorities in Washington, said : 

"Terrible rain-storms during the nieht and 
morning — not yet cleared off Chickahominy 
flooded, bridges in bad condition. Are still hard 
at work on them. I have taken every possible 
step to insure the security of the corps on the 
right bank, but I cannot reinforce them here until 
my bridges are all safe, as my force is too small 
to insure my right and rear, should the enemy 
attack in that direction, as they may probably at- 
tempt. I have to be very cautious now. Our 
loss in the late battle will probably amount to 
seven thousand. I have not yet full returns. On 



SS BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

account of the effect it mloht have on our own 
men and the enemy, I request that you will regard 
this information as confidential for a few days. I 
am satisfied that the loss of the enemy was very 
considerably greater : they were terribly punished. 
I mention the facts now, merely to show you that 
the Army of the Potomac has had serious work, 
and that no child's play is before it. You must 
make your calculations on the supposition that I 
have been correct from the beo^innincr in assertinor 
that a serious opposition was to be made here. 

"Please inform me, at once, what reinforce- 
ments — if any — I can count upon having at Fort- 
ress Monroe or White House Landinof within the 
next three days, and when each regiment may be 
expected to arrive. It is of the utmost impor- 
tance that I should know this immediately. 

^'If I can have five new re<^iments for Fort 
Monroe and its dependencies, I can draw three 
more old regiments from there safely. I can 
well dispose of four more raw regiments on my 
communications. I can well dispose of from fif- 
teen to twenty well-drilled regiments among the 
old brigades, in bringing them up to their original 
effective strength. Recruits are especially neces- 
sary for the regular and volunteer batteries of 
artillery, as well as for the regular and volunteer 
regiments of infantry. After the losses in our 
last battle, I trust I will no longer be regarded as 
an alarmist." 




^ VsVk N.-'^CJ^ », ■i>KV5i'iak> 



CHAPEL IN THE CAMP. 



i 



CHAPTER IV. 

ADVANCE OF McDOWELL FROM WASHINGTON. 

IT/'E will now leave the army under McClellan on 
^^ the banks of the Chickahominy, and return to 
that portion of it which had been left under 
McDowell in front of Washington. 

When Gen. McClellan made arrancrements to 
ship his command from Alexandria to the Penin- 
sula, the first army corps, under Gen. McDowell, 
was to be shipped first, and land at West Point 
on the York river ; but a delay having occurred 
by the transports not arriving in time, and then 
only in such numbers at a time as to compel the 
army to "'be shipped in smaller detachments, the 
first corps was kept back until the balance of the 
army had been shipped. McClellan desired the 
first corps to be moved in a body, and it was with 
the expectation of getting enough of transports 
together for that purpose that it was kept back 
until the last. As already stated, at about the 
time it was ready to start, some of the military 
advisers at WashinQ^ton, who were about as nume- 
rous as " the leaves at Vallambrosia," and some 
of them about as useful, succeeded in persuading 
the President that the removal of so many troops 
would leave Washington unprotected, and he 

(89) 



90 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Issued the order already stated, that McDowell's 
corps should not be moved to the front. 

That the taking of the strongest and most 
efficient corps from his command, after he himself 
had sailed with a part of his army, Interfered very 
seriously with McClellan's plans, there can be no 
doubt; and It had more to do with causing the 
failure of the campaign on the Peninsula than 
anything else. Aside from the question of who 
was right or wrong, of one thing there can be no 
doubt — that the support given to the commander 
of the Union army by the government was In 
strange contrast to that given to the Union com- 
manders during the last year of the war. 

Gen. McDowell's large corps was kept In front 
of Washington, perfectly Inactive, for one month, 
when It was finally ordered to march along the 
line of the Alexandria and Oranore Railroad to 
Manassas. 

After camping a few days at that place, Mc- 
Dowell moved a part of his command along the 
railroad In the direction of Culpepper Court 
House, and had proceeded as far as Catlett Station, 
when he received an order from the Government 
to the effect that, as his corps was intended to 
cover Washington, he was to act entirely on the 
defensive. After camping a short time at this 
place. Gen. McDowell, who was Impatient In hav- 
Inof his command so lonof inactive, and who felt 
keenly the absurdity of having his large force in a 



OCCUPATION OF FREDERICKSBURG. 9 1 

position where it could be of no service, requested 
permission to advance and capture the city of 
Fredericksburg. About this time, FrankHn's 
division of his corps was sent back to Alexandria, 
and shipped to West Point, in response to Mc- 
Clellan's requests for reinforcements. Permission 
being granted, McDowell with the remaining two 
divisions of his army, advanced on Fredericks- 
burg. The enemy occupied Falmouth — a small 
town on this side of the river, and nearly opposite 
the city — -in small force. After a sharp conflict 
with the van of the Union troops, the rebels fled 
across the river and burned the bridoe. 

About this time, McDowell received an order 
from Washington that he was not to cross the 
river, or make any effort to reconstruct the bridge; 
so the small number of rebels were left in undis- 
turbed possession of the city for a short time. 
The Union troops encamped near Falmouth for 
several weeks, when McDowell, finding that the 
enemy was removing supplies to Richmond, and 
arresting loyal citizens and conscripting them into, 
the rebel service, beofo-ed of the authorities at 
Washington for permission to cross the river and 
occupy the city. The request was at last granted, 
but with the understanding that he was not to 
advance any troops beyond the city. The river 
was then crossed by the Union troops, and the 
city fell without any opposition into the hands of 
McDowell's command. 



92 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Gen. McDowell now became very anxious to 
march his command down the Richmond pike to 
form a junction with McClellan's army, and sev- 
eral times requested permission of the authorities 
at Washington to do so. This was also McClel- 
lan's request, but the authorities would not at this 
time consent to it, and McDowell was ordered to 
recross the river to Falmouth, where his com- 
mand was encamped and inactive for about one 
month longer. Finally, however, it was decided 
to send a strong force of troops to McClellan's 
assistance, and Gen. Shields' division of Banks' 
army in the Shenandoah was ordered to march to 
Fredericksburg and report to Gen. McDowell, 
who was to march with the combined force and 
form on the right wing of the army in front of 
Richmond. Gen. McDowell immediately ordered 
his cavalry to advance and reconnoiter the road 
in the direction of Richmond as a preliminary 
movement before the o-rand advance. These 
troops proceeded to within about eight miles of 
Hanover Court House, driving the enemy before 
them, when a messenger from McDowell reached 
them with an order immediately to return to 
Fredericksburg. 

This was in compliance with an order Mc- 
Dowell received from the War Department, and 
was issued on account of the rebel Gen. Jackson 
moving up the valley and threatening the com- 
mand of Gens. Banks and Fremont. McDowell 



JACKSON S STRATEGY. 93 

was ordered to march his command, with the 
exception of McCall's division, to intercept Jack- 
son. A wild-goose chase was the result, in which 
nothing was accomplished, and the troops finally 
returned to Fredericksburg. Gen. Jackson, by a 
rapid, bewildering series of movements, drove 
General Banks out of the valley, and so alarmed 
the authorities at Washington that they kept the 
commands of McDowell, Banks and Fremont 
frisking about without accomplishing anything 
definite, when the wily rebel commander finally 
skipped off to Richmond in time to take a most 
prominent part in the great Seven Days' battle 
which ensued soon after. The object of the 
enemy in making this raid was to prevent Mc- 
Dowell's army from marching to the relief of 
McClellan's troops. It appears strange that the 
combined force of Banks and Fremont, together 
with the troops around Washington, could not 
have held the line of the Potomac against Jack- 
son's 30,000 men, and let McDowell march to 
the Peninsula ; but such a chronic fear existed at 
Washington that the Capital might by some 
chance fall into the hands of the enemy, that the 
first report of a rebel army moving up the valley 
set half of the Union armies in motion. Gen. 
McClellan, in accordance with the movement 
made by McDowell's cavalry, sent Gen. Fitz John 
Porter with the fifth corps to Hanover Court 
House to engage the enemy. The result was the 



94 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

battle of Hanover Court House, in which the 
Union troops were victorious. 

The way was now open for a junction between 
McClellan's and McDowell's forces, and had such 
a junction been effected the rebel captain would 
in all probability have fallen into the hands of the 
Union troops. After the battle of Fair Oaks, 
Gen. McClellan, believing his force too weak to 
capture Richmond by assault, selected his camp 
and commenced to erect lines of intrenchments 
and fortifications for a regular approach to within 
commanding distance of the city, and to protect his 
men from an assault by the enemy. Almost one 
month was employed in this work, and by that 
time the army occupied a strongly fortified posi- 
tion, extending from the swamps below White 
Oak to the right of Mechanicsville, a distance of 
about fifteen miles. A part of this immense line 
was in sight of the rebel Capital, at which place 
the main strength of the rebel power was concen- 
trated. The people of the North and South 
looked on with almost bated breath for the 
result which would follow. The rebels had em- 
ployed the time as industriously as the Union 
troops in fortifying and strengthening their posi- 
tion, and preparing for the mighty conflict before 
them. 

A large part of Gen. Beauregard's forces had 
been transferred to Richmond, and with the thirty 
thousand Jackson brought with him from the 



DEFENSES OF RICHMOND. 95 

valley, the entire force In the defences of Rich- 
mond was not less thon 135,000 men. To this 
was added the division of Gen. Magruder during 
the fighting, which numbered about 15,000 men. 
Gen. McClellan's force when he first landed on 
the Peninsula was rather less than 115,000 men; 
to this was added the division of Gen. Franklin, 
numbering about 12,000, the greater part of 
McCall's division, numbering about 10,000 men, 
and about 11,000 from other sources, making a 
total of about 148,000 men, 

Directly after landing on the Peninsula, sick- 
ness commenced to spread with fearful rapidity 
through the Union army, and in a short time the 
number of men In hospitals was fearfully great. 
The losses in the different actions had also been 
quite heavy, and it Is not probable that McClellan 
had a man more than 100,000 men when the 
Seven Days' battle commenced. This force could 
not even all be depended on in an engagement 
with the enemy, as it required the services of a 
full division to guard our base of supplies, and 
keep up communication with It at White House 
Landinor. 

McClellan, finding that he could not hope for a 
junction with McDowell's corps, again requested 
that reinforcements be sent to him, and it was de- 
cided to send him McCall's division of that corps. 
On the 7th of June, Secretary of War Stanton 
advised McClellan of the departure of reinforce- 



96 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

ments, and desired to know "whether he would, 
on their arrival, be in a situation to advance ?" to 
which McClellan replied : 

"I have the honor to state that the Chickahom- 
iny river has risen so as to flood the entire bot- 
toms to the depth of three or four feet. I am 
pushing forward the bridges in spite of this, and 
the men are w^orking night and day, up to their 
waists in water, to complete them. 

^' The whole face of the country is a perfect 
bog, entirely impassable for artillery, or even cav- 
alry, except directly in the narrow roads, which 
renders any general movement, either of this or 
the rebel army, entirely out of the question until 
we have more favorable weather. 

"I am glad to learn that you are pushing for- 
ward reinforcements so vigorously. 

"I shall be in perfect readiness to move forward 
and take Richmond the moment McCall reaches 
here, and the ground will admit the passage of 
artillery. I have advanced my pickets about a 
mile to-day, driving off the rebel pickets, and se- 
curing a very advantageous position." 

To give a proper description of the events 
which followed, it will be necessary to again re- 
turn to McDowell's command at FredericksburQf. 
The division of that command which had marched 
to the assistance of Banks' troops had not as yet 
returned to occupy the position at Fredericks- 
burg ; but the necessity now appeared so great 



REINFORCING McCLELLAN. 97 

that some reinforcements should be sent to the 
Peninsula, that McCall's division was ordered to 
move without waiting for the other division to 
arrive and take its place. 

On Sunday morning, June 4th, the division 
marched to Gray's Landing — ten miles below 
Fredericksburg — at which place a fleet of trans- 
ports was in waiting to take us down the river. 
The march was made in the darkness of nieht, for 
the purpose of deceiving the enemy in regard to 
the movement. 

At daylight on the foMowing morning the em- 
barkation commenced, and by 10 o'clock the first 
brigade was on board. At about 2 p. m., the 
steamers with the first and second brigades on 

o 

board steamed into line, and commenced to move 
down the river. The third brigade was delayed 
for the want of transportation, and did not get off 
until two days later. 

We had been greatly disappointed in being 
severed from the Army of the Potomac, and pre- 
vented from going with it from Alexandria to the 
Peninsula, and the men were wild with delieht 
at the prospect of joining it again. Cheer after 
cheer reverberated through the forest alone the 
shore as the steamers steamed down the stream ; 
and to judge by the joy and mirth of the men. It 
might have been supposed that they were going 
on a grand pleasure excursion instead of to a great 
battle, and it must not be supposed that these 

7 



98 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

men expected anything else than hard work and 
severe fighting when they arrived in front of 
Richmond. They all believed that a grand effort 
would be made to storm the rebel Capital, and 
the result would be terrible battles, with great loss 
of life — but the men were eager for the fray, and 
rejoiced at the prospect of meeting the enemy. 
The playing of bands, the rolling of drums, and 
the wild cheering of* the troops, made a most in- 
spiriting scene, and one not soon to be forgotten 
by those who witnessed it. 

Three weeks later, more than one-fourth of 
these men were lying dead or bleeding along the 
banks of the Chickahominy river, or in the swamps 
of the Peninsula. Such are the fortunes of war. 

On Monday evening we anchored at Fort Con- 
roy, where we stopped until the following morn- 
ing, when we again continued our voyage, and by 
4 o'clock had reached the Chesapeake Bay. The 
weather was most delightful, and we all enjoyed 
the trip probably better than anything else we had 
experienced in our soldier life. On the way down 
the river we passed a number of very fine planta- 
tions, and large numbers of blacks, with a few 
whites, gathered along the shore to witness the 
sight. The blacks were wild with joy and excite- 
ment, and It was highly amusing to the boys to 
see their demonstrations of dell^^ht. Some ot 
them waded Into the water and shouted for 
" Massa Lincoln " to take them on board ; others 



WELCOMED BY NEGROES. 99 

gathered in groups, and jumped, shouted, and 
clapped their hands, until they sank down on the 
ground exhausted. The few whites looked on in 
sullen silence. We were probably the first Union 
troops these people had ever seen, and to them, 
no doubt, we seemed a mighty legion, and to the 
blacks an army of deliverers who had come to set 
them free. 

These poor. Ignorant people instinctively knew 
that the marching of Union troops, or " Massa 
Lincoln's men" — as they called us — South, would 
in some way, lead to their good ; and no doubt 
in the privacy of many an humble cabin was dis- 
cussed that night the joyful news, and m.any ear- 
nest, sincere prayers ascended to Almighty God 
In thankful praise that the day of deliverance was 
nigh, and that the promised "Moses" had at last 
appeared to lead them to freedom ; and who can 
say how much the prayers of these poor, op- 
pressed people had to do with the deluge of blood 
which swept its crimson waves from shore to 
shore of our country ? 

On Wednesday, June iith, the fleet steamed 
up the Pamunky river to White House Land- 
ing, at which place we disembarked as rapidly as 
possible, and marched a few miles up the York 
River and Richmond railroad, where we encamped 
for the nicrht. 

o 

On the followlncr morninor the march was re- 
sumed, and we marched to Tonstall Station, and 



lOO BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

on the next day to Dispatch Station, where we 
were to encamp and wait for the third brigade 
before continuing our march. Directly after 
going into camp Gen. McCall received a dispatch 
stating that the enemy had attacked the guards 
and laborers at Tonstall Station in our rear, and 
that the immense amount of army supplies at 
White House Landinof was in danger of beinof 
destroyed. Our brigade was immediately or- 
dered to fall into line and march back to the 
station. It was already night, and the men felt 
tired after the day's march ; but the news that the 
enemy was in our rear, and that there was some 
prospect of meeting them, caused the men to 
form, line with alacrity and in the best of spirits. 
After marching about eight or nine miles, and a 
good part of the way on double-quick, we arrived 
at the station. The enemy fled at our approach, 
leavinor a number of cars and the station in 
flames. The bodies of several unarmed laborers 
whom the rebels had murdered were lying near 
the railroad track. After extinguishing the 
flames, the march was renewed in the direction 
of the Landing. We had not marched very far, 
however, when we received word that the third 
brigade had landed at that place, and thus pre- 
vented the enemy from doing any mischief there. 
The rebels had appeared in sight of the Landing, 
but discovering the presence of a considerable 
number of troops, they fled. It was fortunate 



AT MECHANICSVILLE. IOI 

that the division arrived so opportunely in the 
rear of the army, thus saving the Union supplies 
from falline into the hands of the rebels. 

The force which had thus threatened the rear 
of the Union army consisted of Gen. Stuart's 
cavalry, and as it was, of course, useless to think 
of pursuing them with infantry, we marched back 
to camp. 

On the 17th of June, the division, with the ex- 
ception of the regiment of cavalry, the sixth in- 
fantry, and part of the Bucktail regiment, was 
again united at Dispatch Station, and ready for 
action. The cavalry and four companies of the 
Bucktails had been left with Fremont in the val- 
ley, and the sixth regiment was to guard Tonstall 
Station. The effective force now in the division 
was about 10,000 men. 

On the morning of the i8th of June, the march 
was commenced for the position the Reserves 
were to occupy in the army. On the day before 
the march commenced, we received orders to fall 
into line, as Gen. McClellan was coming to review 
the division. The boys were very anxious to see 
that popular commander again ; but as he did not 
put in an appearance, they suffered a disappoint- 
ment. After marching two days, sometimes in 
sight of the rebel pickets, and sometimes under 
fire, we reached the extreme right of the Union 
position at Mechanicsville, at which place we went 
into camp. . 



I02 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

The position thus assigned to the Pennsylvania 
Reserves was a most important one, and imme- 
diate steps were taken to make it as strong as 
possible. The first brigade was placed in posi- 
tion across the Walnut Grove Church road, its line 
extending from Beaver Dam creek on the left to a 
large swamp on the right. The second brigade 
formed on the left of the first, its line extending 
along the Beaver Dam creek. The third brigade 
was in position on Gaines' farm, a short distance 
in the rear of the two other brigades. 

By the 25th of June everything was in readiness 
to commence the grand assault upon the rebel 
Capital. The bridges had all been completed, and 
the troops, placed in the most advantageous posi- 
tion, eagerly awaited the order to advance. 



CHAPTER V. 

Position of the Two Armies — McClellan Orders an Advance — Re- 
ceives Information of the Enemy Receiving Strong Reinforce^ 
ments — Danger to the Union Rear — A Change of Base Decided 
on — Moving of the Stores from the Pamunky to the James 
River — Beauregard's and Jackson's Commands join Lee's — Criti- 
cal Situation of the Union Army — Successful Withdrawal of the 
Union Supplies — Advance of the Rebels on the Union Right 
Wing — Battle of Mechanicsville — Gallant Fighting of the Penn- 
sylvania Reserves — The Rebels Defeated widi Terrible Loss — 
Withdrawal of the Union Troops to Gaines' Mill — Battle of 
Gaines' Mill— Terrible Fighting by Both Armies— Results— Bat- 
tle of Golding's Farm, on the Union Left— Gallant Fighting of 
Hancock's Brigade — Defeat of the Enemy — Retreat of the Union 
Right Wing across the Chickahominy — Attack of the Rebels on 
Sumner's and Heintzelman's Corps at Allen's Farm — Repulse of 
the Enemy — Union Troops Withdrawn to Savage Station — Rebel 
Attack on the Union Position— Great Slaughter and Repulse of 
the Rebel Anny — The Withdrawal of the Union Army through 
^Vllite Oak Swamp — Battle of New Market Cross Roads — Re- 
sults — Great Battle of Malvern Hill — Complete Defeat of the 
Rebel Army— Results of the Campaign. 

''PWO armies — the largest ever marshaled on 
^ the Western continent — now stood confront- 
ing each other in such close proximity that the 
advance pickets of the contending forces could 
converse together, and all felt that a mighty 
strueele was close at hand. As a preliminary 
movement to the great one that was to follow, 
Gen. McClellan ordered Gen. Heintzelman's 
corps, and Richardson's division of Sumner's, to 

(103) 



I04 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

advance and feel the enemy In their front. The 
object of this movement was to place the corps of 
Heintzelman and Sumner in a more favorable 
position for the opening of the great assault that 
was to commence on the morrow. 

McClellan had received Information that Gen. 
Jackson, with 30,000 men, was approaching along 
the line of the Virginia Central Railroad, to rein- 
force Lee's forces, and he now determined to 
strike before they could form a junction. In the 
evening, after leaving the field where the advance 
had been made, and arriving at his headquarters, 
McClellan received additional information that 
Jackson was much closer than at first reported, 
and that he was moving with his entire force 
directly on the rear of the Union position, which 
greatly endangered his base of supplies. It now 
became plainly evident that the advance on the 
rebel Capital must be given up until the danger 
that threatened our rear was removed. Gen. 
McClellan immediately issued an order that the 
Immense amount of supplies be removed from 
White House Landing and shipped to Harrison's 
Landing, on the James river. He had for some 
time before favored a movement of this kind, as 
he considered the James river a safer base of sup- 
plies, from the fact that It would be under the 
protection of the Federal gunboats, and would 
not require so many men to guard it. Unfortu- 
nately, It did not at first meet the views of the Gov- 



PUSHING THE FIGHTING. IO5 

ernment, and it was delayed until it was absolute- 
ly necessary to remove them, or let them fall into 
the hands of the enemy. The immense amount 
of supplies was tumbled on transports, and sent 
down the Pamunky as fast as possible, and a con- 
siderable number of troops sent to hold the enemy 
in check until the supplies could be got out of the 
way. 

McClellan had, however, not given up the plan 
of fighting on the Chickahominy, but merely de- 
layed it until the change of base was effected. 
He intended to renew the fighting, if possible, on 
the battle-field of the Fair Oaks, and compel the 
rebel commander to fio^ht a orreat battle on the 
south side of the river. He had a number of 
good, strong bridges over the stream, which would 
have enabled him to concentrate his force in a 
short time on either side of the stream ; and if 
the enemy would refuse to fight on the south side, 
so far from their Capital, he could, at least, ad- 
vance his line nearer to the city, with the great 
advantage of having his base of supplies nearer 
and in a much safer position. 

Early in the evening, after the advance of 
Heintzelman, Gen. McClellan telegraphed to 
Washington : 

"The affair is over, and we have gained our 
point fully, and with but little loss, notwithstand- 
ing the strong opposition. Our men have done 
all that could be desired. The enemy has been 



I06 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

driven from the camps In front of this place, and 
is now quiet," * * i^ ^^ a* ^ 

A few days later Gen. McClellan received In- 
formation that both Beauregard and Jackson had 
united their commands with Lee, and that they 
would. In all probability, assume the offensive on 
the morrow, and by flanking his right, compel him 
to fight on the north side of the Chlckahomlny. 
That this Information was correct, subsequent 
events fully proved. At about 6 o'clock In the 
evening, McClellan telegraphed to the President 
as follows : 

" I am Inclined to think that Jackson will attack 
my right and rear. The rebel force is stated ' at 
200,000, including Jackson and Beauregard. I 
shall have to contend against vastly superior odds, 
if these reports be true. But this army will do 
all in the power of men to hold their position and 
repulse any attack. 

"I regret my great inferiority In numbers, but 
feel that I am in no way responsible for it, as I 
have not failed to represent repeatedly the neces- 
sity of reinforcements, that this was the decisive 
point, and that all the available means of the 
Government should be concentrated here. I will 
do all that a General can do with the splendid 
army I have the honor to command, and, if it is 
destroyed by overwhelming numbers, can at least 
die with It and share Its fate. But if the result of 
the action, which will probably occur to-morroT^^ 



CHANGE OF BASE. IO7 

or within a short time, is a disaster, the responsi- 
bility cannot be thrown on my shoulders ; it must 
rest where it belongs." 

McClellan now believed the situation to be 
most critical, and he took the most enerofetic 
measures to get the immense amount of supplies, 
wagons, and army material, out of the way of the 
enemy. The cars were kept constantly run- 
ning from the rear of the army to White House 
Landing, loaded with army supplies, where it was 
tumbled on boats and moved down the river. 
Immense trains of loaded wagons were kept 
moving along the rear of the army to the left, and 
all supplies on the way to the front were ordered 
back and up the James river to Harrison's Land- 
inof. 

It is certainly creditable to Gen. McClellan that, 
althouofh the fio^htinor commenced on the folio win of 
day, and raged with great fury for seven days, so 
little of the army supplies fell into the hands of 
the enemy, and the change of base to the James 
river was so successfully effected. The change of 
base at so late a day was, however, unfortunate, 
from the fact that it to some extent impaired the 
morale of the armv. The fact that something 
unusual was going on could not be kept from the 
men, and the reports of the enemy being so 
strongly reinforced spread through the army, and 
the fear of a disastrous retreat, instead of a suc- 
cessful forward movement, soon became felt. 



I08 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

This was greatly Increased after the second day's 
battle, when the right wing of the Union army re- 
treated across the Chlckahomlny, and the excite- 
ment and confusion proved conclusively that the 
army was retreating from Its fortified position In 
front of Richmond. That the occupation of 
White House Landing for a base of supplies was 
a mistake, there can be no doubt. Who was re- 
sponsible for It will ever be a matter of dispute, 
but McClellan was certainly In favor of removing 
it before It was done. 

It has been contended by some that It was the 
commenclnof of this chano^e of base which brought 
on the rebel attack on the 26th, but that Is not 
borne out by the facts in the case. The order for 
commencing the movement was not made until in 
the evening of the 25th, and that the rebel com- 
manders had, In council of war, decided to assume 
the offensive before that order was issued, is 
proven by the statement of a rebel officer who 
was present at said council. This officer said : 

*' On the 25th of June another great council of 
war was held. In it were assembled nearly all 
that was eminent in the Confederate army. 
There stood like a rock General Lee, orazincr 
cheerfully over the countenances of his comrades, 
for each of whom he had a part already assigned. 
Thoughtfully his eyes wandered from one to the 
other, as though he wished to stamp the features 
of each upon his memory, with the feeling that he 



REBEL PREPARATIONS. lOQ 

perhaps should never behold many of them again. 
Close beside him towered the knightly form of 
Gen. Baldwin ; at his left leaned passively Stone- 
wall Jackson, the idol of his troops, impatiently 
swinging his saber to and fro, as though the quiet 
room was too narrow for him, and he were lone- 
inof to be once more at the head of his columns. 
A little aside stood the two Hills, arm-in-arm, 
while in front of them old Gen. Wise was ener- 
getically speaking. Further to the right stood 
Generals Huger, Longstreet, Branch, Anderson, 
Whiting, Ripley and Magruder, in a group. 
When all these generals had assembled. General 
Lee laid his plans before them, and in a few stir- 
ring words pointed out to each his allotted task. 
The scheme had already been elaborated. It 
was compact, concentrated action, and the result 
could not fail to be brilliant. 

'•When the conference terminated, all shook 
hands and hastened away to their respective 
army corps, to enter upon immediate activity." 

Early on Thursday, June 26th, the day that 
McClellan had intended to move on the enemy's 
works, indications of an advance of the rebels on 
our extreme right commenced to show them- 
selves. Gen. Jackson's command had left Ashland 
at 3 o'clock In the morning, and after driving the 
Union pickets back in the direction of Atley's 
Station, advanced and engaged the Union cavalry 
under Gen. Stoneman at Hanover Court House. 



no BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

This movement uncovered the front of Gen. 
Branch's rebel division on the left of Lee's lines, 
and it crossed the river at the Brook turnpike 
bridge and attacked the eighth Illinois cavalry, 
which was In position between that bridge and 
the Meadow bridge. The cavalry, after a short 
resistance, fell back to Meadow bridge, where six 
companies of the Bucktails and four companies 
of the First Pennsylvania Reserves were sta- 
tioned. A sharp conflict ensued ; the Union 
troops were compelled to fall back, and a number 
of men belono^Inor to one of the Bucktail com- 

O CD 

panles were cut off by the enemy and taken 
prisoners. 

In the meantime Gen. Reynolds, with the first 
brigade, had advanced beyond Mechanicsvllle 
and formed line of battle ; but it soon became 
evident that the rebels were in such force that It 
would be useless to try to oppose them with so 
small a force, and the brigade was withdrawn to 
its line of Intrenchments this side of Beaver Dam 
creek. The second briofade was formed In line 
of battle on the left of the first, and the third 
briofade In the rear of the first and second, as a 
reserve. The disposition of these troops had 
hardly been more than effected when two full 
divisions of rebel troops, commanded by Gen. 
Lee In person, advanced to the assault, and the 
battle opened with great fury along the front of 
the first brigade. As the enemy's troops came 



FIGHT xVT BEAVER DAM. Ill 

within range of McCall's artillery, the batteries of 
Cooper and De Hart opened on them with the 
most terrific effect ; but the enemy, encouraged 
by the presence of Lee, pressed forward to the 
assault with the most desperate courage. The 
enemy, who were suffering dreadfully from the 
fire of the Union batteries, were evidently deter- 
mined to come to close quarters as soon as pos- 
sible, and with frantic cries of rage they threw 
themselves on the Union lines. 

In front of the first brigade a part of the 
ground was low and swampy, making it almost 
impossible for troops to cross. Into this a part 
of the rebel column charged, and a scene of the 
most indescribable confusion, horror and tumult 
ensued. Hundreds of the men and horses sank 
into the mire, and were shot down by the deadly 
rifles of the first brigade. Again and again the 
enemy advanced to the assault, only to be driven 
back with the most terrible slaughter. Gen. Lee, 
finding he could not storm the posidon held by 
the first and second brigades of the Pennsylvania 
Reserves, sent a strong column down the Ellison 
Mill road, for the purpose of turning the left gf 
the posidon held by McCall's troops. That gen- 
eral, however, was equal to the sly rebel leader, 
and he had already dispatched both infantry and 
ardllery to that point, and the enemy met the 
same repulse they had received on our right. 
The batde raged at different points alo.ng Mc- 



I 1 2 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Call's lines until after dark, when the fighting 
ceased. At about sunset Griffin's brigade of 
Morrell's division and Edwards' battery came on 
the ground and became engaged ; but almost all 
the fighting was done by McCall's division. The 
rebels had two full divisions engaged, one of 
which, commanded by A. P. Hill, was officially 
reported as having 14,000 men when the battle 
commenced. The loss sustained by the Union 
troops was less than 300 ; the rebel loss exceeded 
2,000. 

Althouofh the Reserves had inflicted a terrible 
defeat on the enemy, and were abundantly able 
to hold their position against almost any force 
that might attack them in front, their position 
nevertheless was one of great peril. The rebel 
division commanded by Gen. Branch was advanc- 
ing to turn their right, and Jackson's corps was 
moving on the left of Branch's division, for the 
purpose of getting into the rear of the Union 
army. It became highly necessary to withdraw 
McCall's division from the dangerous position it 
occupied to one in closer proximity to the main 
army. Gen. McClellan in his report says : 

" The position on Beaver Dam Creek, although 
so successfully defended, had its right flank too 
much in the air, and was too far from the main 
army, to make it available to retain it longer. I 
therefore determined to send the heavy guns at 
Hocran's and Gaines' houses over the Chickahom- 

o 



A CREDITABLE RETREAT. II3 

iny during the night, with as many wagons of the 
fifth corps as possible, and to withdraw the corps 
itself to a position stretching around the bridges, 
where its flanks would be reasonably secure, and 
it would be within supporting distance of the 
main army. General Porter carried out my 
orders to that effect. 

" Meade's and Griffin's briofades were the first 
to leave the ground; Seymour's brigade covered 
the rear with the horse batteries of Captains 
Robinson and Tidball; but the withdrawal was so 
skillful and gradual, and the repulse of the pre- 
ceding day so complete, that, although the enemy 
followed the retreat closely, and some skirmish- 
ing occurred, they did not appear in front of the 
new line in force till about noon of the 27th, 
when we were prepared to receive them." 

The withdrawal of the troops commenced at 
daylight, but as the rebels opened fire directly 
after, and it was necessary to keep up a show of 
resistance for the purpose of deceiving the 
enemy, it was not fully accomplished until 9 a. 
M., when the last of the brave division which had 
fought and defeated three times their number 
was in retreat in the direction of Gaines' Mill. 
Gen. McCall, justly proud of his command, said: 

"In fine, our killed had been buried and our 

wounded had been sent off by 7 o'clock a. m. on 

the 27th, and not a man nor a gun nor a musket 

had been left on the field. The regiment filed 

8 



I 1 4 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

past as Steadily as if marching- from the parade 
ground; and it must have been some time before 
the enemy were aware that we were gone, as no 
attempt was made to follow immediately." 

The loss of the enemy was heavy beyond 
precedent in this war in proportion to the num- 
bers engaged. I learned from official authority 
while a prisoner in Richmond that Lee's loss in 
killed and wounded did not fall short of two 
thousand men. In the official reports published 
it was admitted that the First North Carolina 
regiment lost nearly one-half its effective force, 
and the Forty-fourth Georgia nearly two-thirds. 

In this, the first great battle In which the Penn- 
sylvania Reserves had taken part, they won 
laurels that well might make any commander feel 
proud of them. Gen. Porter had been ordered 
to withdraw the whole of his corps to a position a 
short distance beyond Gaines' Mill, and the retreat 
continued in that direction. The Reserves cov- 
ered the line of retreat, which was made in the 
most orderly manner, the last of the column de- 
stroying the bridge at the mill after crossing. 
The enemy, finding that our troops were retreat- 
ing, and being strongly reinforced, rushed for- 
ward in pursuit, and as we were leisurely retiring, 
we were soon overtaken by them. The destruc- 
tion of the bridge did not detain them very long, 
as they soon had a temporary causeway, on which 
they crossed their artillery, and the stream was so 




ONION 
CONEEt^ERATE. 



BATTLE OF GAINES'S FARM. 




RUINS OF GAINES'S MILL 



COLD HARBOR. II5 

inslenlficant that It did not lonor retard the ad- 
vance of the infantry. The entire mass was soon 
across the stream and In pursuit of the Federal 
army. 

Gen. McClellan, finding that It would be neces- 
sary to fight another battle on the north side of 
the Chlckahomlny river to hold the enemy in 
check lonof enouo^h to cret his trains over the 
river, ordered Gen. Porter to take a position 
about two miles this side of Gaines' Mill, and re- 
sist the further advance of the enemy until that 
was accomplished. Gen. Porter formed his corps 
in line of battle in the following order : The divis- 
ions of Morrell and Sykes were advantageously 
posted in position, with the left of Morrell's line 
extending almost to the Chlckahomlny, and the 
right of Sykes to the rear of Cold Harbor. Mc- 
Call's division was held in reserve, being In posi- 
tion about one mile in the rear of the first line. 
By 1 1 o'clock everything was in readiness to re- 
ceive the enemy, every man and ever}^ gun being 
in position. 

The scene, as witnessed by the author from the 
position held by his regiment, was one of the 
grandest and most inspiriting imaginable. The 
space of ground presented to the eye, and on 
which was soon to be fouo^ht one of the most 
desperate and destructive battles known in mod- 
ern warfare, was about two miles in length and 
nearly as wide. It was made up of beautiful 



r 1 6 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON FEN. 

green meadows, large fields of waving grain, 
several swamps and ravines, which at some places 
interposed between the two armies, and a strip of 
wood skirting along the rebel line opposite to the 
Union position. The long array of glittering 
steel, the waving of the numerous starry banners, 
which gracefully and majestically flung their folds 
to the breeze from every regiment, the dashing 
of officers from one part of the line to the other 
giving orders, and the knowledge that the rebels 
in immense numbers were close upon us, all con- 
vinced us that the loyal sons of the Nation would 
soon again have to meet armed treason on the 
bloody field of battle. 

The retreat from Mechanicsville, and the re- 
ports of the immense number of reinforcements 
which the rebels had received, had the effect of 
filling the hearts of the Union soldiers with appre- 
hension for the result of the conflict they knew 
would soon take place, but undismayed they 
awaited the approach of the enemy. The period 
of suspense did not last long'. At a few minutes 
before i o'clock the enemy emerged from the 
woods along the entire front In countless numbers, 
and with wild yells advanced on the Union lines. 
The battle had opened almost instantaneously 
along our entire front, and the great superiority 
in numbers of the enemy soon compelled Gen. 
Porter to use his reserve division, and In a short 
time almost his entire command was engaged. 



THE BATTLE RAGING I I 7 

At 2 o'clock he sent a request to McClellan for 
reinforcements, and also for axes to fell trees, but 
unfortunately the message did not reach McClel- 
lan till late in the day, when a part of Slocum's di- 
vision was sent to his support. The battle raged 
all the afternoon with the utmost intensity, and, 
although a panic seized several regiments which 
at one time threatened the most serious conse- 
quences, the mass of the Union troops fought 
with a desperation unsurpassed in the history of 
the war. For four long hours 27,000 men* held 
60,000, led by the ablest chieftains in the Southern 
army, at bay. At about 4 o'clock there v/as a 
short lull in the battle, when it again burst forth 
with even greater fury than before. The enemy 
had again been strongly reinforced, and, with the 
most frantic yells of rage, they in overwhelming 
numbers charo^ed on the Union lines. 

The Union troops, with shouts of defiance, and 
the most destructive volleys of infantry and artil- 
lery, met their assailants, and the battle raged 
with all the fury which characterizes an engage- 
ment in which brave men fight for victory or 
death. The fiehtine was now of the most terrible 
description, and would often be at such close 
quarters that the savage thrust of the bayonet, and 
the crash of the butt of the musket, as it struck 
through the head of some poor unfortunate, added 
to the horror and tumult of the occasion. In the 
rear of a portion of the Union position was a low, 



Il8 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

marshy swamp, and into this the rebels tried with 
the utmost desperation to drive the Union troops ; 
but our men, knowing the nature of the ground, 
and that it would be certain destruction if the 
enemy succeeded, fought with all the desperation 
of despair to prevent it. 

It was fortunate that at about this time the rein- 
forcements arrived from the south side of the 
river, and reached the front ; for, even the most 
heroic fighting could not much longer have held 
the overwhelming hosts of the enemy at bay. 
Durinof the battle, the reo^iments beloneine to 
the division of the Pennsylvania Reserves were 
sent to combat where their services would be 
the most needed, and were frequently in the 
severest parts of the battle. One of the fiercest 
conflicts that occurred during the battle was 
fought by Col. Duryea's regiment of Zouaves 
and a larofe force of rebels. The Zouaves held 
a position on an open sandy piece of ground, 
and the enemy occupied the wood in front of 
them. A rebel column, six or eight men deep, 
cautiously advanced to the edge of this wood, 
when, rushing forward, they charged with frantic 
yells on the Union regiment. The Zouaves 
poured into their ranks a deadly fire, and then, 
with a wild shout, charged bayonets. The rebels 
for some time bravely stood their ground, and 
then ensued a conflict as terrible as human beings 
could make it. When the fighting was the sever- 



HAND TO HAND. II9 

est, our reeinient was ordered forward to rein- 
force the gallant Zouaves ; and, as we advanced 
for that purpose, we could distinctly see the des- 
perate nature of the fighting. Neither side ap- 
peared to think of loading their muskets, but 
depended entirely on the bayonet. We advanced 
as fast as possible to the assistance of the 
Zouaves, but by the time we reached the ground, 
the orallant fellows had beaten the rebels back into 
the woods and out of sight. They had, however, 
paid dearly for their victory, as about 300 of this 
heroic band lay dead or terribly wounded on the 
field. The regiment was completely disorganized, 
and left the field In squads. Its brave com- 
mander stayed for some time with our regiment, 
evidently regretting that he did not have a fresh 
reo^iment to seek revenue for the noble fellows 
lying dead in front of him. When the two Colo- 
nels met. Col. Roberts remarked, "Well, Colonel, 
they have used you up pretty badly ;" to which 
Duryea replied, "Well, yes; but, by the Eternal," 
— pointing with his sword to the heaps of rebel 
dead — 'T think we have paid them back in their 
own coin." 

For a few minutes after we arrived on the field, 
there was a lull In the fighting, and Col. Roberts 
ordered the regiment to advance over the ground 
so hotly contested a few moments before. As we 
advanced, I had a good opportunity of seeing the 
terrible character of the conflict. The ground 



I20 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

was SO thickly covered with the dead and wounded 
that it was with the utmost difficulty we could 
advance without treading on them. To accom- 
plish this the regiment were compelled to break 
ranks and get over the ground as best they could, 
regardless of system or discipline. The red uni- 
forms of the Zouaves, showing more conspic- 
uously than the gray of the enemy, gave us at 
first the impression that the Union loss was the 
severer ; but a closer inspection of the field re- 
vealed the fact that the loss of the enemy was 
even orreater. 

The nature of the wounds inflicted proved the 
close proximity in which the combatants contested 
for the mastery. Some of the dead had their 
heads broken in by blows from butts of rifles, and 
others lay dead with bayonets thrust through 
them, the weapon having been left sticking in their 
bodies. Some of the wounded begged piteously 
to be helped to the rear ; and altogether, it was 
the most sickening sight I had ever witnessed. 
We had hardly more than advanced over the 
ground when Col. Roberts received orders to 
about-face his regiment, and march a few steps to 
the rear of the position held by the Zouaves. At 
this place the ground formed a small elevation 
several feet high, and behind this Col. Roberts 
formed his line. He had hardly more than done 
so when a chorus of yells, which was enough to 
make us believe that all the demons from the 



REPULSING A CHARGE. 121 

lower regions had broken loose, announced that 
the enemy was advancing to the assault. Col. 
Roberts ordered the regiment to lie down, and 
not fire a shot until the rebels reached the open 
ground. Some of the men could hardly be re- 
strained from firing as they came yelling through 
the woods; but the officers kept telling them to 
keep cool and wait for the word of command. 

After a few moments of painful suspense, the 
enemy like a swarm of bees burst from the wood 
into the open ground. The single word "Fire!" 
from our gallant Colonel, and the rifles of the 
first reofiment sent a shower of lead into the 
rebel mass which swept their line like a scythe 
of death. The rebel line broke and fled in the 
utmost confusion, and in a few moments after the 
men, with loaded rifles and without the loss of a 
man, were prepared to give them the same recep- 
tion. We did not have to wait long, however, to 
get the chance ; for they, having reformed their 
lines, aofain advanced to the attack. Thev were 
ao^ain driven back Vvath ereat slaughter, and we 
were commencine" to congratulate ourselves on 
having a soft thing of it. when the yells of the 
enemy again announced their advance. They 
had now a fresh and a stronger column, and were 
evidently determined to force us from our posi- 
tion at any cost. We again reserved our fire 
until they were out of the woods, and then gave 
them the contents of our rifles. The rebel line 



122 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

wavered for a moment, but soon recovered, and 
then, giving us a volley, rushed forward to come 
to close -quarters. A fierce conflict ensued, which 
raged for almost an hour, when they again fled 
from the field, leaving us in victorious possession. 
It was most fortunate, however, for us that they 
did, for our ammunition was running short, and 
after a few more volleys at the retreating rebels 
some of the men were entirely out; and the regi- 
ment which was advancinof to relieve us made so 
poor a record after they became engaged, that, 
had we been compelled to. fall back, they would, 
no doubt, have fled from the field before they did. 
Our regiment and the 8th Pennsylvania Re- 
serves, which had been engaged on our right, and 
was also out of ammunition, were now ordered to 
march to the rear for the purpose of getting a 
new supply and a short rest. The two regiments 
marched to the rear, stacked arms, and threw 
themselves on the ground. We had hardly more 
than done so, when a wild commotion in our front 
caused us to jump to our feet, when we discovered 
that a serious break had taken place in the line 
we had just vacated. The New York regiment 
which had relieved us broke and fled as soon as 
the rebels charged on them, and the enemy, pour- 
ing through the gap thus created, flanked several 
regiments, which were also compelled to fall back. 
To add to the confusion, a body of cavalry under 
the command of Gen. McCook, who, according to 






H 
O 






3» 



o 



o 

< 




PANIC. 123 

the report of Gen. Porter, had been commanded 
to remain behind the hill, and not under any cir- 
cumstances to appear above the crest, but to 
operate against the enemy on the bottom land on 
the left, should an opportunity present itself, 
charged on the rebel line. "This charofe in the 
face of a withering fire of infantry, and in the 
midst of cannonading, resulted, of course, in their 
being thrown into confusion ; and the bewildered 
horses, regardless of the efforts of the riders, 
wheeled about, and, dashing through the batteries, 
convinced the gunners that they were charged by 
the enemy." 

Several of the batteries fell Into the hands of 
the enemy, and a scene of the most indescribable 
confusion ensued. Horses plunged madly about, 
and sometimes ran Into the ranks of the soldiers. 
Batteries fled to the rear, and from the point where 
the break occurred In the infantry line came a 
stream of flying fugitives, some of them throwing 
away guns and everything that could Impede 
their flight. Everything now Indicated a terrible 
disaster to our arms. Looklnof at the mass of 
running fugitives who came rushing toward us, I 
remarked to a comrade, " Now look out for a 
Bull Run stampede ;" but happily such was not to 
take place. Col. Roberts had formed his regi- 
ment in line, and to keep them steady com- 
menced to drill, throwing his command Into col- 
umns by companies, and then into regimental 



124 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

line, with as much coolness as if he had had us on 
a parade ground in camp, when an officer dash 
ing up, exclaimed, " Colonel, fire into those men 
who are falling back !" The Colonel replied^ 
"We are out of ammunition." In a moment 
after Gen. Porter came riding up in haste, and 
exclaimed, " Col. Roberts, can't you take these 
two regiments and stop those men ?" To which 
Roberts replied, " I will try ; but get me some 
ammunition to stop the enemy." 

Col. Roberts formed the two regiments, and, 
although the shells from the enemy's batteries 
fell thick around them, and the shouts of the now 
victorious enemy, who were in hot pursuit of the 
broken Union troops, could be heard coming 
nearer and nearer, they stood as firm as if on 
dress parade, and presented a solid front of steel 
to the demoralized fugitives, who tried to pass 
them and get to the rear. The two regiments 
succeeded In stopping the most of tlrem, but they 
were now in a most serious situation, as the 
rebels would soon be upon them, and they without 
ammunition to defend themselves. 

Fortunately just at this time the cheering In 
our rear announced the fact that reinforcements 
were at hand, and never were such more eagerly 
welcomed. The Irish brigade, commanded by 
Gen. Meagher, and a brigade commanded by 
Gen. French, both of Slocum's division, came on 
the ground on the double-quick, and charging on 



A REBEL ACCOUNT. 125 

the enemy with the ferocity of tl^^ers, stopped 
their farther advance ; and finally the entire line, 
which was now again in good condition, advanced 
and drove back the enemy. The approach of 
night put an end to the fighting, and closed one 
of the severest battles, for the number engaged, 
in the history of the war. 

This battle, fought for the purpose of covering 
the retreat of the Union army over the Chicka- 
hominy, fully accomplished that purpose. The 
sieee enns, wagons and army material on t!ie 
north side of the river were safely crossed to the 
south side, and Porter s corps followed in perfect 
order during the night. The loss sustained by 
the Union forces was, however, very great, and 
as the rebels captured several batteries of artil- 
lery and held the battle-ground, the prestige of 
success was held by them. Gen. Fitz John 
Porter's corps, which did almost all the fighting, 
numbered about 27,000 men, and lost nearly one- 
third. Fearful as was the Union loss, the enemy's 
was even yet greater. The Union troops fighting 
most of the time on the defensive, inflicted the 
most terrible slaucrhter on their enemies. • 

A distincri-iished rebel officer thus describes this 
terrible conflict : 

"The attack was opened by the columns of 
Hill (ist), Anderson and Pickett. These gallant 
masses rushed forward with thunderinor hurrahs 
upon the musketry of the foe, as though it were 



126 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

joy to them. Whole ranks went down under 
that terrible hail, but nothlne could restrain their 
courage. The billows of battle raged fiercely 
onward ; thfe struggle was man to man, eye to 
eye, bayonet to bayonet. The hostile Meagher's 
brigade, composed chiefly of Irishmen, offered 
heroic resistance. After a fierce strueGfle our 
people began to give way, and at length all 
orders of encouragement were vain — they were 
falling back In the greatest disorder. Infuriate, 
foaming at the mouth, bareheaded, sabre In hand, 
at this critical moment Gen. Cobb appeared upon 
the field at the head of his legion, and with him 
the Nineteenth North Carolina and the Four- 
teenth Virginia regiments. At once these troops 
renewed the attack, but all their devotion and 
self-sacrifice were In vain. The Irish held their 
position with a determination and ferocity that 
called forth the admiration of our own officers. 
Broken to pieces and disorganized, the fragments 
of that fine lemon came rolllnof back from the 
charge. The Nineteenth North Carolina lost 
eight standard-bearers, and most of their staff 
'officers were either killed or wounded. Ao-ain 
Gens. Hill (ist) and Anderson led their troops 
to the attack, and some regiments covered them- 
selves with Immortal glory. Our troops ex- 
hibited a contempt for death that made them the 
equals of old, experienced veterans ; for,' notwith- 
standing the bloody harvest the destroyer reaped 



A REBEL REPORT. \2*] 

in our ranks that day, no disorder, no timid bear- 
ing, revealed that many of the regiments were 
under fire and smelt gunpowder then for the first 
time. But the enemy, nevertheless, quietly and 
coolly held out against every attack we made, one 
after the other. Notwithstanding the fact that 
some of their brigades had to stand their Q^round 
from four until eight o'clock p. m., they performed 
feats of incredible valor ; and it was only when 
the news came that Jackson was upon them in 
the rear, that, about eight, they retired before our 
advance. Despite the dreadful carnage in the 
ranks, they marched on with streaming banners 
and rolling drums, and carried with them all their 
slightly wounded and all their baggage ; and 
when the cavalry regiments of Davies and Wick- 
ham went in pursuit, repelled this assault also 
with perfect coolness. 

"By this time night had come on, and over- 
spread the field of death with darkness, compas- 
sionately shutting out from the eyes of the living 
the horrid spectacle of slaughter, '^' '*'* I has- 
tened with one of my aids to that quarter of the 
field where the strue^le had rao^ed the most 
fiercely. The scene of ruin was horrible ; whole 
ranks of the- enemy lay prone where they had 
stood at the begfinnine of the battle. The num- 
ber of wounded was fearful, too, and the groans 
and imploring cries for help that rose on all sides 
had, in the obscurity of the night, a ghastly effect 



I 28 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

that froze the blood in one's veins. Althoueh I 
had been upon so many battle-fields In Italy and 
Hungary, never had my vision beheld such a 
spectacle of human destruction." 

The troops referred to by this officer as making 
so desperate a resistance were not, as he thought, 
the Irish Brigade, that body of troops not coming 
into action until late in the evening. During the 
time that this battle was in progress, the enemy 
made an attack on McClellan's left wing, for the 
purpose of preventing him from sending rein- 
forcements to the troops fighting on the north side 
of the river. The rebels, who were under the 
command of General Toombs, suffered a severe 
defeat, and were driven from the field with heavy 
loss. The enemy renewed the engagement at 
this point on the following morning, but were 
again defeated by the desperate fighting of Han- 
cock's brigade of the Union army. This action Is 
known as the battle of Golding's farm, and as al- 
ready stated, had been brought on for the pur- 
pose of preventing strong reinforcements being 
sent to Porter. Some writers contend that it had 
that effect, but that is not in accordance with the 
facts In the case. • Gen. McClellan had fully made 
up his mind to withdraw his army to the James 
river, and the reinforcements he did send to Por- 
ter's aid, although late through the miscarriage of 
the order from that general requesting aid, yet 
had the effect of checking the farther advance of 



RETREATING. 1 29 

the enemy, and enabled the army to concentrate 
on the south side of the river. 

The rear of the Union troops, after crossing 
the Chlckahominy, blew up the bridges and en- 
camped on Trent's Farm. The greatest activity, 
however, prevailed in the Union army, and the 
most extensive preparations were made to get the 
siege guns, wagons and army supplies safe off on 
the line of retreat. The army had succeeded In 
cencentrating on the south side of the river, but 
the greater task of getting It through the White 
Oak Swamp still remained. During the night of 
the 27th, between five and six thousand loaded 
wagons, a drove of three thousand head of cattle, 
and an immense number of ambulances and other 
war material, were started on the way to the 
James. There were but two passable roads on 
the line of retreat to Savage Station, and over 
them flowed a constant stream of wagons, cattle 
and men. 

The magnificent corps of reserve artillery of 
the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Gen. 
Hunt, and numbering over one thousand guns, 
was still parked on Trent's farm, waiting to get 
possession of the road, on the morning of the 
28th, and it was of the utmost importance that 
this most valuable auxiliary of the army should 
be prevented from falling into the hands of the 
enemy. This splendid park of artillery consisted 
of thirteen batteries, its guns being of the most 

9 



130 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Improved pattern, and was intended to be used in 
the bombardment of Richmond. It was a few 
days later used with terrible effect on the enemy 
from Malvern Hill, and did much to win us that 
splendid victory. 

There was great danger that these guns, being 
so heavy that they could only be moved slowly, 
miorht fall into the hands of the enemv before 
they could be moved to another battle-field. 

A writer (J. R. Sypher) in describing the move- 
ment said: 

"Gen. McClellan nervously, and in deep anx- 
iety, called to mind his ablest generals and his 
trustiest troops. Gen. McCall and his division of 
Pennsylvania Reserves had been intrusted with 
the defense of the right wing at Mechanicsville; 
they had fully justified the confidence reposed in 
them by the commanding general. At Gaines' 
Mill, too, they had put to shame the regulars, and 
paid a terrible price in blood for their valor. 
There were other divisions which had rested 
while the Reserves had been fiorhtino- and march- 
ing, without sleep and without rations. But Mc- 
Clellan would take no risks in a labor so momen- 
tous. Gen. McCall was therefore ordered to 
guard Hunt's artillery, and conduct it in safety 
from Trent's Farm to the Quaker road south of 
White Oak Swamp." 

The giving of this important trust to Gen. Mc- 
Call and his men was certainly a very great 



A HORRID MARCH, 13! 

honor. In the two great battles that had been 
fought on the north side of the river, the rebels 
had gained no decided advantage ; In fact, had 
been severely punished ; but the rebel leaders 
mistaking the withdrawal of the Union forces for 
a hurried fllo^ht to White House Landlngr or 
down the Peninsula towards Yorktown, made a 
quick movement In that direction to cut off Mc- 
Clellan's retreat. They, however, soon dis- 
covered their mistake, and commenced to press 
the Union rear. The army was now In a posi- 
tion where a pitched battle with the enemy was 
out of the question, and it would require the 
finest generalship to extricate it from the laby- 
rinth of difficulties which surrounded It. This 
was accomplished wath the most consummate 
skill. It was fully 9 o'clock in the evening before 
the road could be cleared for the. departure of 
the artillery train, and then, with the regiments 
equally distributed along the line, the march com- 
menced. This artillery corps, with the wagons 
and batteries of our division made a train six or 
seven miles long, and this valuable property we 
were to guard over the swamps and bogs of one 
of the worst of the wretchedly bad roads which 
crossed the Peninsula. It was raining, and the 
night was as dark as pitch, and, as the mud at 
some places was almost knee deep, It was one of 
the most miserable marches Imaginable. A con- 
stant watch had to be kept against a surprise 



132 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

from the enemy. But the men, feeling the im- 
portance of the trust confided to their keeping, 
kept cheerfully to the work, and by the following 
morning reached Savage Station. This place is 
a railroad station on the Richmond and York 
River railroad, running from Richmond to White 
House Landing, and was being used by the 
Union commander to send supplies from the 
latter place to his army. Since the change of 
base to the James river had been decided on, the 
road had been used to its utmost capacity to 
send army material and wounded to the landing 
for shipment. A large number of sick and 
wounded were still at the station waitingr to be 
moved, and a train loaded with them was just in 
the act of leaving when the telegraph stopped 
working. It was, of course, at once believed 
that the enemy had cut our communications 
with White House Landing, but the train pro- 
ceeded cautiously down the road a few miles, 
when it was discovered that the rebels had pos- 
session of Dispatch Station. It was now evident 
that all the supplies yet with the army and the 
wounded that could be got away would have to 
be sent through White Oak Swamp, and the 
greatest terror and alarm fell on these poor un- 
fortunates, who had anxiously hoped to be sent 
away on the cars from the terrible scenes sur- 
roundinof them. 

The rapid movement of the troops as they 



TERRIBLE SCENES. I 33 

marched past the station, the hurry and confusion 
of the countless teams as they left on the road to 
James river, the endless string of ambulances that 
were still arriving loaded with sick and wounded, 
the touching cries of those unfortunates, who had 
been unloaded and laid under the trees, and who 
were begging piteously not to be left behind, to- 
gether with the wild reports about the enemy 
having cut off our retreat, created a scene of the 
wildest excitement and confusion. About 3,000 
sick and wounded were at the station, and a con- 
stant stream still comma- In. The most active 
preparations were being made to get them away, 
but It soon became evident that a laro-e number 
would have to fall into the hands of the enemy. 

A writer, in describing the scene at the station, 
writes : 

" The poor broken and wounded men, whose 
hearts had borne them up to endure all hardships, 
still waited on the cars, hoping against hope, and 
rejecting the offers of their friends to remove 
them to beds on the ground. Between two and 
three thousand sick and wounded were in the 
houses and tents, and under the trees at Savage 
Station. Deep gloom and sore. distress fell upon 
all ; there were a thousand rumors of things most 
improbable, but the despondency of the men pre- 
pared them to believe the most extravagant 
stories, and the confusion that surrounded them 
increased their consternation. 



134 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

"When, therefore, on Sunday morning, the 
Reserves halted at the station, the men left the 
ranks, and amid the army of wounded, sought out 
their companions, and ministered to their many 
wants. For such as could walk they made canes 
and crutches ; they bound up the wounds of some, 
and aided many to follow their regiments in the 
retreat across the swamp ; to others who could 
not follow them, they gave water, and rations of 
bread, meat, sugar, and coffee; and each noble 
patriot placed in the pocket of his wounded com- 
panion all the money he had in his possession. 
The parting of brave men, companions in arms, 
is rarely witnessed under more distressing cir- 
cumstances ; the strongest heart was melted in 
sorrow ; many a manly cheek was wet with tears 
as the soldiers bade farewell to each other, ex- 
pecting never to meet again. Fathers dragged 
themselves away from the couches of their sons, 
son forsook father, and brother parted from 
brother. Both were patriotic and brave — one 
well, robust, and strong ; the other all bleeding, 
maimed, and dying. They parted like brave men ; 
those who went, to die gloriously in battle, or to 
survive with the vindicated honor of their country ; 
those who remained, doomed to the most terrible 
hardships that befall men who, in war, become the 
prisoners of a vengeful foe. Without physician, 
nurse, or attendant, many died beneath the trees 
where their companions had left them ; others, 



LEAVING THE WOUNDED. 1 35 

carried towards Richmond, eldier died on die way, 
and were buried in die swamps, or, taken to the 
Confederate prisons, died of neglect, filth, and 
abuse." 

Rev. Dr. Marks, who was chaplain of the sixty- 
third Pennsylvania Volunteers, said : 

"When it became manifest that such was to be 
their fate, the scenes of distress could not be pic- 
tured by human language. Some of the wounded 
men, who were left in their tents, struggled forth 
through the grounds, exclaiming, they 'would 
rather die than fall into the hands of the rebels.' 
I heard one man cry out, 'O, my God! is this the 
reward I deserve for all the sacrifices I have made, 
the battles I have fought, and the agony I have 
endured from my wounds?' Some of the young- 
est soldiers wept like children, others turned pale, 
and some fainted. Poor fellows ! they thought 
this was the last drop in the cup of bitterness; but 
there were yet many to be added." 

The rebel commander appears to have been 
somewhat perplexed by the movements of the 
Union army on Saturday, but on Sunday he dis- 
covered that the line of retreat was in the direc- 
tion of the James river instead of the Pamunky, 
as he had at first supposed, and he immediately 
made the most desperate efforts to cut off the 
Union forces from the James river. 

The left wing of the Union army abandoned their 
intrenchments on Sunday night, and also fell 



136 BATtLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

back in the direction of Savage Station. The 
rebels immediately closed in pursuit, and Gens. 
Sumner and Helntzelman, who were In command 
of the Union forces on the left, were ordered by 
Gen. McClellan to form their commands in line 
of battle on Allen's Farm, and check the advance 
of the enemy. The rebels advanced on the 
Williamsburg road, and, forming line of battle 
within a short distance of the Union lines, ad- 
vanced to the attack. They were met with a 
terrific discharge of artillery and Infantry. They 
fell back In confusion, but soon again advanced, 
and the battle raged with great fury until nearly 
noon, when the rebel line gave way and fled from 
the field. This action Is known as the battle of 
Peach Orchard or Allen's Farm, and It was a 
severe repulse to the rebel army. It was deemed 
best, however, that Sumner and Helntzelman 
should fall back to a position nearer Savage Sta- 
tion ; and after the close of the battle they retired 
and formed line of battle near that place. 

The position held by the Union forces ex- 
tended over an almost level tract of land, com- 
prising several hundred acres ; and on this open 
ground, like a living wall of fire, stood the rear 
of the Union army to check the advance and 
save the Union forces from destruction. It was 
necessary to give the enemy one more repulse, 
and hold them in check loner enouc^h to enable 
the part of the army and trains that had left the 



PURSUIT CHECKED. I 37 

Station, to get through the White Oak Swamp 
before the rear corps could follow. A defeat of 
this line would have Insured the destruction of a 
considerable portion of the Union army ; for had 
it been driven on the mass who were strue^linor 
to get out of the way, the most terrible conse- 
quences would have followed. 

That great soldier, Gen. Sumner, had been In- 
trusted with the command of the rear-guard, and 
never was trust placed in more loyal or abler 
hands. He had beside his own corps a part of 
Heintzelman's corps and Franklin's division, and, 
forming his column, he calmly awaited the assault 
of the enemy. At about 5 p. m. the battle 
opened with a furious discharge of artillery from 
the enemy's batteries, which was responded to by 
the Union batteries, and for almost an hour the 
thunder from these qruns was Incessant. The 
enemy's Infantry had in the meantime advanced 
through the woods skirting the front of the Union 
position, and, at a given signal. In almost countless 
numbers, with the m.ost frantic yells, they rushed 
on the Union lines. A sheet of fire from the 
Union lines, and the roar of musketry was added 
to the thunder of artillery. The battle raged with 
Indescribable fury until eleven o'clock at night, 
when the rebels, defeated in every assault and at 
every point, sullenly withdrew from the field. The 
attempt of the enemy to drive our rear in confu- 
sion on the retreating army was a most signal 



I -iS BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 



J 



failure ; there Is no doubt that Gen. Sumner 
could have held at bay almost any" force the en- 
emy might have been able to concentrate in his 
front ; but the trains of artillery, wagons, ambu- 
lances, cattle, and supplies, In the van of the army, 
had by this time all left the station, and were 
either over or on the way through White Oak 
Swamp. So, at twelve o'clock, Gen. Sumner re- 
ceived orders from Gen. McClellan to evacuate 
his position as rapidly as possible, and follow the 
rest of the army. 

It is said that Gen. Sumner, who now had his 
blood up, retreated with the greatest reluctance, 
and before doing so requested reinforcements, 
that he might renew the conflict in the morning; 
and that he was so disgusted with the order to 
withdraw from the position he had so nobly de- 
fended, that from some expressions which he 
made, he received the sobriquet of " Bull Sum- 
ner." Subsequent events, however, fully proved 
the wisdom of the order, as the rebels had already 
started a stronor column in the direction of White 
Oak creek, to cut off the retreat of the rear of the 
army, and it became highly necessary that all of 
the army should get across the swamp, and over 
the creek, before the enemy could intercept them. 
Gen. Sumner rapidly withdrew his men, and, 
before two o'clock the last of the troops, with the 
exception of the wounded, had left the station. 
As the troops marched away, and the wounded 



TERRIBLE SCENES. I 39 

found that they would really have to fall into the 
hands of the enemy, the scene was absolutely 
heart-rending ; and to add to the terror of these 
unfortunates, the woods had caught fire and were 
burning with great rapidity, threatening death to 
hundreds of them. 

The rebels had also again opened fire with ar- 
tillery, and, in spite of the hospital signs over the 
buildings that contained some of the wounded, 
fired into them. The fiames lit the heavens as 
bright as day, the air was full of the most dismal 
sounds, and the shrieks of the fiaming shells, with 
the piteous cries of the wounded, made a scene 
of horror no pen can describe, and a sudden de- 
moralization appeared to seize upon all in the 
rear of the army. 

The entire retreat had so far been made with 
the greatest coolness, the troops retreating from 
one position to another leisurely, and nobly con- 
testing every foot of ground; but the movement 
now degenerated into a rapid flight, and the men 
who had so nobly sustained themselves were now 
compelled to flee to save themselves from de- 
struction ; and a scene the most indescribable 
ensued. The race was, however, won by the 
Union troops, and before ten o'clock in the morn- 
inor the last of them had crossed White Oak 
creek, and had blown up the bridge in their rear. 

The race for position on White Oak creek had 
been won, but it soon became evident that the 



140 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

army had secured very lltde time for rest. The 
pursuing enemy, as soon as they reached the 
front of the position occupied by the Federal right 
wing, opened with artillery, and also made several 
efforts to cross the stream, but were driven back 
by Gen. Smith's division. This demonstration 
was, however, only made for the purpose of 
diverting the Federal troops from the real attack 
of the rebels, who were marching to intercept the 
Union army at Charles City cross roads. This 
movement again compelled McClellan to give 
battle, as It was necessary to hold the enemy in 
check until the trains of siege guns, wagons, and 
other war material, could be safely transferred to 
Malvern Hill, and then to Harrison's Landing on 
the James river. The line of battle extended 
from near Turkey Bend on the James river to 
White Oak creek, a distance of about four miles. 
Sumner's corps held the right of the position, 
Gen. Porter's the left, and Gen. Heintzelman's 
the center. Gen. Franklin guarded the passes of 
White Oak Swamp. McCall's division of Porter's 
corps was in position on the New Market road, 
which is the principal one running from the direc- 
tion of Richmond. This position was the most 
important one in the Union line of battle, as the 
main body of the rebel army approached on the 
New Market road for the purpose of* cutting 
through the Union lines and getting between 
McClellan's army and the James river. Han- 



CLOSING UP THE FIGHT. I4I 

cock's brigade of Sumner's corps held die ex- 
treme right of the hne, and the battle opened by a 
vigorous fire of artillery on that command. This 
fire was most destructive, and caused a short 
panic in several Union regiments, but order was 
soon restored, and the rebels repulsed. This 
demonstration, as well as several others on our 
right, was, however, only intended to cover the 
movement to be made by the enemy on the New 
Market road. It was not, however, before three 
o'clock that the enemy, in strong force, appeared 
in front of McCall's division ; but the battle soon 
after opened with great fury along his front, and 
rapidly spreading along the line held by the 
Union troops, raged with the most desperate fury 
until night put an end to the conflict. 

The enemy fought with a desperation unsur- 
passed in the history of the war, and at several 
periods of the battle the total defeat of the Union 
army appeared to be certain ; but the equally des- 
perate fighting of the latter at last drove them 
back, and when the batde closed the ground was 
in possession of the Union troops. Several bat- 
teries of artillery had, however, fallen into the 
hands of the enemy, and the Union loss in killed 
and wounded was very great. During the follow- 
ing night, the army was successfully withdrawn to 
a strong position at Malvern Hill. The army was 
now again united, and in one body presented a 
solid front to the enemy. Harrison's Landing 



142 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

was only six miles below, and to this place all the 
army material not wanted in the coming conflict 
had been sent. 

The soldiers, almost worn out by the marching 
and fighting, were now concentrated in a strong 
position, under the protection of the splendid 
train of artillery which we had guarded through 
the White Oak Swamp, and the gun-boats on the 
James river ; but their task was not yet finished, 
for the approaching day was to witness one more 
great conflict in the war for the Union. General 
McClellan posted his men with great skill, and by 
daylight the formation of the Federal line was 
completed. It was drawn up in a semicircle, with 
the artillery in such a position as to command 
the entire front. At about nine o'clock the 
enemy appeared in front of the Union position, 
but the battle did not open until about noon, when 
it commenced with a most terrific discharge of 
artillery, and for almost two hours the earth shook 
beneath the thunder of the combined artillery of 
the two armies. The enemy were worsted in this 
conflict, and finding that they could make no im- 
pression with artillery on the Union line, ad- 
vanced a massive column of infantry, commanded 
by Generals Lee, Jackson, Beauregard and Ma- 
gruder, to storm the Federal position. 

A battle of the most terrible description ensued, 
and the rebel line was driven back with the most 
dreadful slaughter ; but again and again they re- 



MALVERN HILL. 1.43 

newed the assault, only to be again driven back 
with the same fearful loss. The battle rasped 
until night, when the rebel army, fearfully beaten, 
fell back out of rancre of the Federal o^uns. The 
siege guns on Malvern Hill and the gunboats on 
the James river did most effective service, and did 
much to win the victory. A storm of shot and 
shell from these oruns was hurled on the retreat- 
ing rebel column with fearful effect, until it suc- 
ceeded in orettinof out of their ranofe ; and until 
nine o'clock the occasional flash of a eun from 
Malvern Hill, followed by the crash of a flaming 
shell, gave notice to the rebels that the vigor of 
the Union o-uns was not exhausted. 

This ended the great Seven Days battle before 
Richmond, undoubtedly one of the bloodiest 
series of battles in the annals of modern or 
ancient times. After the battle of Malvern Hill, 
the Union troops marched to Harrison's Landing 
and the change of base was effected ; it is true, 
not without great loss. But the loss of the enemy 
was yet greater, and they could not fairly boast 
of a victory. They had captured the larger num- 
ber of prisoners, from the fact that the Union 
forces falling back were compelled to allow a 
large number of wounded to fall into their hands ; 
but as the Union troops fought almost all the 
time on the defensive, and often from strong 
positions, the enemy lost a much larger number 
in killed and wounded. The rebels were, how- 



1,44 BATTLE FIELD AND PRLSON PEN. 

ever, loud in their boasts of having gained a 
great victory ; and the fact of their getting pos- 
session of the field after the fighting gave their 
claim some semblance of truth ; but a more care- 
ful examination of the campaign disclosed the 
fact that they had suffered much more than the 
troops they claimed to have defeated. They had 
gained no important advantage over the Union 
troops in any of the seven battles, and had been 
driven from the field with great slaughter in 
every action but one, and on that occasion they 
had lost more men than the Union forces. The 
boast of having driven the Union army to the 
James river cannot be sustained, as it is unques- 
tionably true that the Union forces would have 
been withdrawn to the position they occupied 
after the battle of Malvern Hill had the rebels 
not pursued a step after the first day's fighting. 
The rebels had fought with a desperate courage, 
well worthy of a better cause ; but the fighting of 
the Union troops had been fully as brilliant, and 
they were handled by their officers with at least 
as great daring and skill. It is certainly to the 
credit of the Union commander, that, although 
greatly outnumbered by the enemy, and attacked 
at the unfortunate time when the removal of his 
base of supplies became a positive necessity, so 
little fell into the hands of the enemy. It was 
perhaps a mistake in not following his decisive 
victory at Malvern Hill by a pursuit of the flee- 



HARRISON S LANDING, I 45 

Ing enemy ; but It must also be remembered that 
his men were well-nigh worn out with incessant 
marching and fighting, and consequently not in a 
condition to make a vigorous pursuit ; and if they 
had, they would have been compelled to fight the 
enemy in the strong fortifications of Richmond, 
and the result would probably have been as dis- 
astrous as the assault on Malvern Hill was to the 
enemy, when they charged on the Union lines in 
that strong position. 

Harrison's Landing, the place selected by Gen. 
McClellan for his new base, was admirably ad- 
apted for a defensive position, and was soon made 
so strong that it could easily have been held 
against any force that the enemy might have 
brought to bear upon it. 



10 



CHAPTER VI. 

MY FIRST CAPURE. 

TN writing the narrative of my first capture by 
^ the enemy, it will be necessary to give a more 
detailed account of the part taken by my regi- 
ment on the sixth day of the Seven Days' fighting 
before Richmond, than in the previous chapter, in 
which was given but a general description of the 
battle. 

As already stated, by Sunday morning, June 
29th, our division had safely guarded the reserve 
artillery corps of the army from Trent's farm, on 
the Chickahominy, to near the James river ; and on 
the following day this most important arm of the 
service was removed to Malvern Hill, where it 
took a prominent part in the great conflict fought 
at that place. Relieved of that important trust, 
and as we had now reached the James river, we 
hoped to get some rest ; and weary and almost 
worn out by the long marching and fighting we 
had passed through, we threw ourselves on the 
ground for that purpose. We were soon, how- 
ever compelled to realize that our rest would be 
a short one, for we had hardly more than nestled 
down when our brigade was ordered to fall in 
line, and marched down the New Market road to 

(146) 



NIGHT MOVEMENTS. 1 47 

picket and watch the movements of the enemy In 
our front. 

It had already been discovered that the rebels 
were advancing- on this road in strong force, and 
that in all probability our division would have to 
stand the brunt of the attack, and that it was of 
the utmost importance that a strict watch be 
maintained alono^ our front, to oruard aofainst ai 
surprise. The terrible days of battle, and toilsome 
marching, had told severely on us all, and a large 
number of the men still in line were better sub- 
jects for the hospital than for the battle-field. But 
not a murmur or Vv^ord of complaint could be 
heard ; and when the order was received to fall 
in and advance in the direction of the enemy, it 
was obeyed with as much spirit and alacrity as 
the weary spirit of the men would allow. 

Since the capture at Gaines' Mill of our be- 
loved commander. Gen. John F. Reynolds, the 
brigade was commanded by Col. Simmons, of the 
Fifth regiment, who immediately advanced his 
command about one mile, and then placed it in 
position to guard the New Market road. The 
night was so intensely dark that it would have 
been impossible to distinguish an enemy a few 
steps from us, and in advancing we had been 
compelled to move with the greatest caution, feel- 
ing our way at every step, until we reached a 
private road running at right angles with the New 
Market road, into which we filed, expecting every 



148 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

moment to meet the enemy ; and it was certainly 
a considerable relief when we were halted and 
ordered to lie down. 

A picket line was established a few yards in 
front of the line, and we were then informed that 
we might lie down and sleep, but with loaded rifle 
in hand, and ready in a moment's notice to jump 
into line and receive the enemy. I soon found 
out that, at least with me, sleep was out of the 
question, for it was a night of constant alarm. At 
one time a volley of musketry almost in our rear 
made us spring to our feet in alarm, as we sup- 
posed that the enemy was making an effort to cut 
us off from the army; but it subsequently was 
learned that two Union reo^iments had fired into 
each other in mistake. At another time, a num- 
ber of artillery horses, which had broken loose, 
dashed alonor the line snortino^ widi terror, mvino- 
us the impression that a cavalry charge was being 
made on us. The almost constant barking of 
doofs at several farm-houses in our front crave us 
the impression that the enemy was advancing, 
keeping us in a state of constant alarm, and pre- 
venting us from getting the sleep we so much 
needed to prepare us for the desperate work on 
the morrow. 

At daylight we were withdrawn from this ad- 
vanced position, and rejoined the division, which 
was in position in a large open field completely 
surrounded with woods of scraggy, k)w pines and 



CAPTURE OF A SPY. 1 49 

scrub oak. We h^d prepared a hasty meal, ex- 
pecting we could then lie down and rest, when a 
fellow having the appearance of a mulatto, or 
very dark-complexioned white man, came into 
camp and gave some information which led to 
our reo^iment beinof ordered out on a reconnois- 
sance, the stranger accompanying us as guide. 
After marchinof a short distance through the 
pines, we struck on a by-road, and had pro- 
ceeded but a short distance when we discovered 
that we were in the most imminent danger of 
beinor ambuscaded and our retreat cut off. The 
Colonel immediately gave the order to about-face, 
and double-quick for the rear. 

The stranger, who no doubt had been sent to 
decoy us into the rebel lines, made an effort to 
escape, but Col. Roberts ordered the men to 
secure and bring him along. We had uncon- 
sciously been marching right Into the enemy's 
lines, and as they endeavored to close in and cut 
us off, it became a desperate race with us to get 
out of the trap. We had about got rid of the 
pursuing enemy, when a line of Union sharp- 
shooters, who had advanced in our rear, mistook 
us for the enemy and fired into us. A large 
ditch that intervened between us and the sharp- 
shooters afforded a good protection ; we jumped 
Into it, and after considerable difficulty we man- 
aged to let them know who we were, and after 
they ceased firing we rejoined the brigade. 



150 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

The fellow who so nearly succeeded in lead- 
ing the regiment to destruction, trembled with 
terror, and his fears were not groundless ; for as 
soon as we got to the rear, one of the men shot 
him dead on the spot. Under any other circum- 
stances, we might have considered it a cowardly 
act to shoot him after being a prisoner ; but under 
the present circumstances we could not help but 
feel that the act was justifiable, and that the mis- 
creant richly deserved his fate. 

It soon became evident that the enemy were 
swarminof alone our entire front, and that a des- 
perate conflict would soon ensue. Gen. McCall 
formed the division in line of battle, with the 
second brigade on the right, the third on the left, 
and our brigade, the first, was held in reserve in 
the rear of the two other brigades. The position 
was a fairly good one, but the division was too 
small to properly occupy it ; and before the open- 
ine of the battle it was considered best to call 
the regiments of the Reserve brigade into posi- 
tion in the front line. Immediately after the 
battle opened, the entire division became fiercely 
eneaeed, and for several hours held three times 
their number at bay, without having a single regi- 
ment as a support in their rear. Our regiment 
and the Ninth Reserves had been placed in posi- 
tion in the rear of Kern's and Cooper's batteries 
as a support to them, but we were soon after 
ordered to advance with the Third regiment, and 



DESPERATE FIGHTING. I5I 

endeavor to feel the enemy and draw them from 
the wood. We soon found that the enemy occu- 
pied the wood in strong force. They appeared 
shy about advancing, but kept up a scattering 
fire with our regiment. This was no doubt for 
the purpose of deceiving us in regard to their 
strength, and for the purpose of getting us to 
charge into the wood, where almost sure destruc- 
tion would have been the result. Finding, how- 
ever, that we would not be entrapped in that way, 
they at last advanced and made a violent attack 
on the Third reofiment on our riorht. At the same 
time everything indicated the advance of the en- 
emy along the entire line, and we were ordered 
to fall back to our former position in the rear of 
Kern's battery. 

The rebels had made a desperate effort to cut 
off the Third regiment, but after considerable 
difficulty it succeeded in extricating itself, and 
getting back into the main line of battle. About 
this time the enemy opened a heavy artillery fire 
along our entire front, and under cover of this 
cannonading, their infantry advanced to the as- 
sault. A stronof column threw itself with terrific 
fury on the left of our division line, and through 
the cowardly conduct of a New York German 
battery they at first gained a slight advantage 
in that direction. This battery became panic- 
stricken, and fled to the rear in the utmost con- 
fusion, and its base conduct mior-ht have resulted 



152 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

in a terrible disaster to our division, and perhaps 
to the entire army. The frantic horses attached 
to the caissons dashed right through the infantry 
lines, and threw them into disorder. The enemy, 
takine advantaee of the confusion, charo^ed with 
frantic yells on the now broken ranks, and the 
Twelfth regiment, which was in position on the 
extreme left of our division line, was cut in two, 
and the greater part of it driven back to the 
right and rear of Hooker's division. The enemy 
pursued them, but being taken in flank by 
Hooker's men, they were driven back on the Re- 
serves, and then driven from the field. 

When the break occurred on the left, Gen. Mc- 
Call immediately ordered Col. Simmons, with the 
Fifth and Eighth regiments of his brigade, to 
move to the left and support that part of the 
line. Col. Simmons was one of the finest soldiers 
in the army, and no braver spirit ever led an as- 
saulting column than he. Taking the two regi- 
ments, he advanced to the point of greatest 
danger, and ordering the Ninth and Tenth regi- 
ments in position on the left to change front, he 
formed the four regiments into line, and then his 
trumpet voice rang out '' Brigade , Forzvard, 
Charge r' and the four regiments with a loud 
cheer, which rang out above the roar of battle, 
charged on the enemy. 

A conflict of the most terrible description en- 
sued; the rebels with the most frantic yells of 



DEATH OF COL. SIMMONS. 1 53 

rage contested the ground with the brave Re- 
serves with the utmost desperation, but were 
finally driven from the field with the most dread- 
ful loss. The left wing of the division was saved, 
and the enemy, after leaving the ground covered 
with killed and wounded, and three hundred 
prisoners in the hands of the victors, were driven 
from the field ; but the Union troops had also suf- 
fered severely, a large number of brave patriots 
being left dead on the field, and they had also to 
mourn the loss of their leader, who fell mortally 
wounded while leading the charge. 

The death of Col. S. G. Simmons was a great 
loss to the army and the country. With no dispar- 
agement to the other able commanders of regi- 
ments he was probably the ablest officer in com- 
mand of a regiment in the division. He was a 
graduate of West Point, and after participating in 
the Mexican and Seminole war, was connected 
with military schools up to within a short time be- 
fore the commencement of the Civil War, when 
he was in the far West. At the first commence- 
ment of hostilities he came to Harrlsburg, and 
connected himself with the Pennsylvania Reserves, 
and was immediately appointed Colonel of the 
Fifth regiment, being one of the most accomplished 
soldiers In the army. The result was soon felt by 
his regiment, and under his skillful leadership It 
soon became one of the best organizations in the 
army. 



154 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

When Gen. Reynolds was captured, Simmons 
was given the command of the brigade, and had 
he Hved he would have added one more to the 
three great army commanders produced by the 
division of Pennsylvania Reserves.* The entire 
division, as well as his gallant regiment, deeply 
felt his loss, and mourned his sad death. 

Directly after the enemy made the desperate 
charge on the left of our division, they also ad-- 
vanced in strong force on the position held by 
Kern's and Cooper's batteries. As already 
stated, these batteries had been supported by the 
Ninth and our regiment ; but as the Ninth had 
been taken to reinforce the left, our regiment was 
the sole support of these batteries during a con- 
siderable portion of the engagement. 

As the rebel lines advanced to the assault, we 
were ordered to He down behind the barriers, and 
let the artillery first deal with them. On came 
the yelling mass of rebels until within a short 
distance of the Union guns, when a discharge 
of double-shotted grape and canister from these 
plowed through their ranks with fearful effect. 
The enemy recoiled a few steps, when quickly 
reforming, they rushed with the most hideous 
yells on the batteries. Our regiment was now 
ordered to fire, and then charge bayonets. This 
was accomplished with the greatest gallantry, 
the boys charging on the yelling enemy with 

♦Mead, Reynolds and Ord. 



FIGHTING RENEWED. • I55 

shouts of defiance, and In a short time we drove 
them from the field and into the wood beyond. 
They, however, soon reformed and advanced to 
the attack, and we soon again became fearfully 
engaged ; but the result was the same, the enemy 
beinof aeain driven from the field. 

After this assault, we had a few moments rest, 
and as the enemy had disappeared from our front, 
we were commencing to hope that the conflict 
was over, when the sharp whiz of a bullet over our 
heads, which was soon followed by others, gave 
indications that our work was not yet over, and 
that we would have at least one more attack from 
the enemy. They had now advanced a strong 
line of sharpshooters to the edge of the wood, and 
under the protection of the trees, endeavored to 
pick off the gunners of the batteries. The bat- 
teries thundered volley after volley into the woods ; 
but as the rebels were well protected, they prob- 
ably sustained very little loss, and the fire from* 
their rifles was telling fearfully in the ranks of the 
batteries. A detail of the regiment now advanced 
to dislodge the enemy, and a sharp skirmish en- 
sued between them and the rebels. It soon after 
became evident that the enemy was again prepar- 
inof to charge, and our men were ordered to fall 
back into line. 

The enemy had been strongly reinforced, and 
in a few moments after our skirmishers fell back, 
they rushed in a massive column from the wood, 



156 . BATTLE FIELD AND PRLSON PEN. 

and, yelling- like fiends, came swarming across the 
field and agfainst our line. As the dense mass of 
humanity, maddened by former repulses, and 
driven to desperation by the desire to overcome 
the batteries that had so severely punished them, 
rushed over the field, the Union batteries, double- 
shotted with grape and canister, opened on them, 
and a scene of the most indescribable horror en- 
sued. The batteries fired with almost lightning 
rapidity, and every discharge plowed horrible 
gashes through the enemy's ranks, and strewed 
the ground with the dead. It appeared as if no 
flesh and bloodcould withstand these terrible dis- 
charges ; but the enemy filled up the chasms in 
their ranks, and pressed forward with a reckless- 
ness g.nd desperate courage that was unsurpassed 
In the history of the war. The artillery men at 
last commenced to load triple charges of grape, 
and the overloaded guns recoiled with such force 
as to endanorer the lives of those around them. 

Our regiment, inspired by the valor of the 
brave artillerymen, could hardly wait until the or- 
der was given to open on the enemy, and when 
the order was at last given, they went to work 
with a will, and crowding on the spaces between 
the guns, poured a constant stream of bullets on 
the advancing enemy. For almost two hours the 
battle raged with the most Intense fijry, the enemy 
rushing up to the mouths of the cannon with the 
fury of demons, and the slaughter was horrible in 



THE LAST SHOT. I 57 

the extreme; the artillery often fired Into them 
when only forty or fifty steps from the muzzles of 
the guns, and we kept up a fire so rapid that the 
guns commenced to heat so badly as to blister our 
hands ; but the rebels displaying a contempt of 
death that was almost Incredible, pushed forward 
over the dead bodies of their comrades, and It 
now appeared as If the batteries would have to 
fall into their hands, but the terrible volleys of 
death were at last too much, and they fell back. 
But a terrible crisis was now approaching. Kern's 
battery was running out of ammunition, and Its 
brave commander, who had in vain been trying to 
get a new supply, was compelled to withdraw his 
guns. After firing the last round of his ammu- 
nition at the enemy, Captain Kern, with tears In 
his eyes, ordered his battery to withdraw from the 
position It had so nobly defended. 

The enemy mistaking the movement for a re- 
treat of the Union forces, immediately re-formed 
their lines, and charged on the now defenseless 
battery, and It would have fallen into their hands, 
had not the promspt measures of Col. Roberts 
prevented It. In the few moments which inter- 
vened between the repulse of the enemy and the 
withdrawing of the battery, the Colonel had re- 
formed his thinned and broken ranks ; and when 
the enemy with cries of exultation rushed forward 
to take advantage of the break In our line, his 
voice rang out, '' First Regiment ^ Forward ^ Charge 



158 BAITLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Bayonets!'' and with a loud cheer we rushed on 
the advancing enemy. We did not fire a shot, 
but relying on the bayonet we charged with an 
impetuosity that broke the rebel line, when we 
poured a deadly volley into their backs, and pur- 
sued them over, the fields. Unfortunately the 
momentum of the charge carried us too far, and 
it soon became evident that we had got ourselves 
into a bad fix. A column of fresh rebel troops 
flanked us, and we were soon in the most Immi- 
nent danger of being surrounded and cut off by 
them. We had also suffered fearfully in the 
charge; our gallant captain, George H. Hess, and 
a large number of officers and men of the regi- 
ment had fallen, and we were compelled to fall 
back in confusion to the edge of the wood in the 
rear of Cooper's battery. 

The enemy in strong force now rushed on the 
battery, and capturing it, were on the point of 
turnine the enns on our lines, when Col. Roberts 
ordered us to take cover behind the trees and 
open on the enemy. We Immediately opened a 
deadly fire on the rebels, who had possession of 
the guns, and for a short time we would tumble 
them over as fast as they could lay hands on the 
battery ; but we could not accomplish impossibil- 
ities, and the immense hordes of the enemy would 
soon have dislodged us and secured the battery, 
had we not at this most critical moment re- 
ceived reinforcements. 



DESPERATE FIGHTING. I 59 

The Ninth reeinient was hasteninof from the 
left for that purpose, and when informed that 
Cooper's battery was in the hands of the enemy, 
they demanded to be led against them for the 
purpose of recapturing it. This battery was a 
great favorite with the Reserves, and the fact of 
it now being in the hands of the enemy filled our 
hearts with racre and a fierce determination to re- 
capture it or die in the attempt. The noble Ninth 
regiment, joined by our regiment, with a tremen- 
dous cheer now charged upon the enemy, and a 
most terrific conflict ensued. Both sides dis- 
charged their pieces, and then with the most fran- 
tic yells of rage rushed on each other ; never was 
battle more severely contested, both sides fight- 
ing with all the desperation of the most infuriated 
men. No time could be secured for loading, so 
all had to rely on the bayonet or such weapons 
as they might have in their possession. Bayonet 
thrusts were frequently given, muskets clubbed, 
and even knives were used in this fearful struggle. 
The dead bodies of men and horses, and broken 
caissons were literally piled up around the guns 
of the battery, and in some cases afforded barri- 
cades for the contestants. 

On the left, the charge of the four regiments 
under the gallant Simmons had cleared the field, 
and on our right Randell's battery of regulars, 
supported by the Fourth and Seventh Pennsylva- 
nia Reserves, were sweeping the enem.y like 



l60 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

chaff from the field, so the rebels In our front 
could expect no relief from that quarter ; and the 
desperate fighting of the Ninth and First regi- 
ments, who now appeared to be seized with a 
supernatural frenzy, was at last too much for 
them, and they broke and fied from the field. 
With shouts of rage we pursued them over the 
field, thinning their ranks at every step, until com- 
pelled by our officers to halt and return to the 
rear of the battery. The battery was now re-cap- 
tured, and the enemy was driven from the field, but 
at a fearful cost, and we looked with dismay on our 
thinned ranks, and listened with horror to the 
pitiful pleadings of our wounded comrades who 
were lying around us. 

As already stated, our brave Captain had fallen 
mortally wounded in the desperate conflict for the 
possession of the battery ; and as he was lying on 
the ground requesting to be helped to the rear, 
we were compelled to fight over his body for some 
time to drive back the enemy before his request 
could be complied with. 

More than one half of the company that went 
Into this action a few hours before were either 
killed or suffering from wounds. Among the 
killed in our company was Sergt. John R. Court- 
ney — and the army did not contain a braver or 
more loyal spirit than his. But among the noble 
slain In our company it would be hard to make a 
distinction, and the army of the illustrious dead 



BRAVE MEN. l6l 

that lined the swamps of the Chlckahomlny from 
Mechanicsville to Malvern Hill, contained no 
heroes that gave their lives In defense of their 
country, more patriotic and brave than George H. 
Hess, John R. Courtney, Gottlieb Gainer, Samuel 
Gordon, Amos Haverstick, Henry Pickle, Samuel 
Robinson, and Robert Scott. 

Col. Roberts re-formed his line at the edee of 

o 

the wood, and made preparation to meet the 
enemy, should they again advance; but we were 
not again called into action. The Irish brigade 
had come to relieve the regiment, and advancing 
until they met the enemy, after a short conflict 
drove them still further from the field. 

It has been said that Kern's and Cooper's bat- 
teries were captured from the Reserves; but that 
is not true. These batteries remained in posses- 
sion of the Reserves after the close of the conflict, 
and were left on the field when the army retreated 
the night after the battle. Sometime during the 
night, some of the officers of the batteries re- 
quested permission to make an attempt to with- 
draw the guns, and take them to the rear; but this 
request was refused by Gen. Heintzelman, on the 
crround thkt it would renew the enoraorement. The 
batteries had suffered terribly, a large number of 
men and almost all the horses being killed; and it 
may be true that it would have been imprudent, 
under the circumstances, to make an attempt to 
remove the guns ; but it was certainly highly 
II 



1 62 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

unjust to charge the men who had so nobly de- 
fended them with their capture by the enemy. 

As we made the last charge on the enemy, a 
sharp pain In my right arm, followed by a rush of 
blood over the hand, announced to me the un- 
pleasant fact that I was wounded. I loaded and 
fired several shots after the fleeing enemy, when 
the copious bleeding from my arm alarmed me, 
and I went to the rear. In the excitement of the 
moment I strayed to the left. Instead of going 
directly to the rear; and as it was some time 
before I got to an hospital, and the ball had opened 
a vein in m.y arm, I felt weak and sick from the 
loss of blood. My arm, however, was soon 
dressed, and the flow of blood stopped, when I 
threw myself on the ground for a rest. I had 
hardly more than done so, when the color-bearer 
of our regiment, William Lafferty, who was 
wounded In both arms, and also slightly in the 
side, came to me and said, "Urban, let us get out 
of this. I do not believe that it will be safe for 
us to stay here." To my question as to what 
made him think so, he replied, " Well, I wouldn't 
be surprised if this hospital is in the hands of the 
enemy before to-morrow morning." I told him 
I did not think so ; as we had now reached the 
James river, and did not think there would be any 
farther retreating ; and even if the army did 
retreat down the river, we would no doubt be 
informed of it, so as to give us a chance to es- 






O 

C/5 

H 




AMONG THE WOUNDED. 1 63 

cape. Lafferty, did not, however, appear to think 
so, and he left, and it was not long before I 
wished 4 had followed his example. I did not get 
to see him again, and what became of him has 
always remained a mystery, as no one heard of 
him afterwards. 

The cries and o^roans of the wounded were so 
terrible that I could not sleep, so I moved away a 
short distance from the house, where I could not 
hear them so plainly, but still I could get no rest. 

On Friday before, at the battle of Gaines' Mill, 
I had given myself a severe wound in my hand 
with the bayonet while In the act of loading. My 
gun having become heated from the rapid firing, 
the ball I was trying to ram down stuck about 
half way, and It was some time before I could 
move it. Becoming excited in my efforts to ram 
it down, I finally, in ramming, bent the ramrod, and 
the bayonet catching my thumb, tore it open 
almost the full length, and to the bone. In the 
last fighting I lost the bandage, and in loading, 
powder and sweat would get into the cut, and the 
consequence was that it was getting exceedingly 
painful, and now prevented me from getting the 
sleep I so much needed. Late at night, however, 
I fell asleep, and when I awoke I found that It 
was daylight. I then moved back to the hospital 
and took a survey of the place. The house, out- 
buildings and yard were full of wounded, and 
among the sufferers were quite a number from my 



• 



1 64 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

company and regiment. Captain Hess was lying 
in a room up-stairs, and I went up to see him, but 
I found him in so sad a condition that I could not 
speak to him, so I soon left the room. In and 
about the house I found William Wright, Jacob 
Finney, and several other members of our com- 
pany, badly wounded. 

I was looking around to find familiar faces, 
when hearing some one say that the enemy was 
coming, I walked out Into the yard ; and, sure 
enough, but a short distance from the house was 
a line of rebel skirmishers. Fllc^ht or resistance 
was out of the question, so we could only submit 
to the Inevitable and hope for the best. The 
enemy Immediately took possession of the hos- 
pital, and their skirmishers advanced in the direc- 
tion of Malvern Hill. The hou^e we were at 
stands but a few steps from the road on which 
most of the rebel army marched In the advance 
on the Union position at Malvern Hill, and it was 
but a few moments after the rebels had posses- 
sion of this house when a rebel column came 
marching rapidly past. I secured a good position, 
and for hours watched the rebels marching alonor. 
Most of the regiments appeared to be well 
equipped and drilled, and under any other circum- 
stances I might have enjoyed the sight ; but under 
the present circumstances, I felt so vexed and 
chagrined that it was anything but a pleasant 
sight to me. To look at the long lines of armed 



TAKEN PRISONER. I 65 

men marching along, with secession flags flung to 
the breeze, and in pursuit of my comrades and 
the dear old flag, and to realize that I was a help- 
less prisoner among them, made me feel most 
wretched, and filled my heart with dark fore- 
bodines of the future. 

The rebel regiments all carried two flaofs, and 
these emblems of treason were a great annoyance 
to the Union wounded lying on the ground. 
''Look at their dirty rags!'' and similar expres- 
sions, could be heard frequently, and some of the 
boys cared very little who heard them. The 
finest body of rebel troops that marched along 
this road was Gen Magruder's division. Some 
of the rebels who came to the pump inside of the 
yard for water, informed us that these troops had 
not yet been engaged ; and they did have the 
appearance of being fresh troops. The regi- 
ments had from seven to nine or ten hundred 
men. I counted seventeen regiments, and the 
division must have had at least 13,000 men. As 
the rebel army marched past, some of their men 
were constantly coming inside of the yard for 
water, and some of them sometimes stopped and 
exchaneed a few words with us. 

After Magruder's troops had passed, and troops 
which I think belonged to Gen Jackson's corps, 
were passing, an officer who was surrounded with 
a numerous staff came riding into the yard, and I 
soon came to the conclusion that he was some 



1 66 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

leading officer of the rebel army. Directly afte'r 
riding into the yard, one officer came dashing up 
and handed him a paper, which I suppose was 
some kind of a dispatch, for, after reading it, he 
galloped rapidly down the road, followed by his 
escort, in the direction of the front. I was in- 
tently watching him, and wondering who he might 
be, when a rebel soldier who was standing close 
to me asked if I knew who he was. On my 
replying in the negative, he informed me that it 
was "Stonewall Jackson." 

I had considered him a very ordinary-looking 
kind of a man, but the mention of his name 
caused me to look closer, and I at least imagined 
that his face betokened a strong, resolute and 
brave character, and that he had the appearance 
of being a great soldier ; but then had it happened 
at the present day, and I been informed that it was 
Guiteau, I might have come to the conclusion that 
the face indicated a character of quite a different 
kind. After all, we greatly judge men's faces 
from what we have heard of them, and the ap- 
pearance of a person is a poor criterion to judge 
character from. The general appearance of 
Jackson on horseback was not of the kind that 
would impress the beholder with the idea that he 
was a great military leader, but rather that of a 
sturdy old farmer, who was riding along with his 
knees drawn up and shoulders stooped, contem- 
plating the probable value of his crops. 



REBEL SOLDIERS. 1 67 

I had also the pleasure during the day of see- 
ing the great Confederate leader, Gen. Lee, and I 
considered him one of the finest-looking military 
men I had ever seen. SIttlnor on horseback he 
appeared to be of medium height, strong built, 
with short, slightly gray, full beard, and warlike 
cast of feature, which made him look every Inch 
a soldier. 

The stream of rebel soldiers kept marching 
alonor the road in the direction of Malvern Hill 
all the morning, and as early as nine o'clock Indica- 
tions of a conflict beoran to show themselves In the 
direction of that place. Gen. Magruder's divis- 
ion after passing the hospital filed right, and 
formed In line of battle with his left but a short 
distance from the hospital, and his right extend- 
ing towards the James river. They then ad- 
vanced in the direction of the Union position. 
This body of men was to lead the assault on the 
Union lines, and after advancing to within the 
distance it was to occupy before making the 
charge, It came to a halt to await the formation 
of the rebel line of battle. A strong body of 
troops now advanced to within supporting dis- 
tance of Magruder's line, and a strong column 
also marched to the left of his position In the 
direction of the Union no-ht. A larcre number of 
batteries of artillery also passed during the fore- 
noon, and w^ere placed In position along the rebel 
line. It soon became evident to us that our men 



1 68 BATIXE FIELD AND PRISON PEN, 

had made a stand for the purpose of contesting 
the farther advance of the enemy, and that in all 
probability a great battle would be fought in our 
sight ; and we became very anxious as to what 
would be the result. Up to about noon the mov- 
ino- of the rebel columns and the occasional firinor 
indicated that the enemy was feeling the Union 
position, and we waited with the most painful 
suspense for the opening of the conflict. 

Directly after noon the enemy opened on the 
Union lines with a terrific discharge of artillery. 
This was soon responded to by the Union guns 
on Malvern Hill, and for several hours the earth 
shook from the effects of the terrible cannonad- 
ing. We could plainly see that the advantage in 
this contest was with our men, and that the rebels 
were getting the worst of it; their artillery appar- 
ently making no impression on the Union lines, 
and some of their batteries beinof driven from 
position. It was well on to three o'clock when 
the loud cheering of the enemy indicated that 
they were advancing to the assault, and soon the 
crash of musketry announced the fact that the 
opposing forces had come into close contact. 

A severe contest ensued, and the rebels were 
driven back with fearful loss. They, however, 
soon re-formed, and again advanced to the at- 
tack, and the battle again raged with the most 
intense fury, and lasted for about one hour, when 
the rebels were again compelled to fall back. 



FIRE FROM THE GUNBOATS. 1 69 

After this repulse there was a short lull in the 
fighting, but we soon discovered that the enemy 
had not yet given up the hope of carrying the 
Union position, and that they were making the 
most earnest preparations to renew the conflict. 
Between five and six o'clock the rebel army sud- 
denly opened a terrific fire on the Union lines, 
and then with loud cheers their infantry advanced 
to the assault, and soon the battle opened with 
greater fury than ever. We could see brigade 
after bricrade, and division after division charo-inof 
through the woods and over the open ground in 
front of the Union lines, only to be driven back 
with the same dreadful loss. 

The guns of the Union fleet on the James river 
had also opened fire on the enemy's lines, and 
with the artillery along the Union position, kept 
up a constant shower of shell, which played havoc 
with the enemy. The scene was now one of the 
most terrible grandeur. The flash of the larcre 
guns from the ships, the shrieks of the two and 
three hundred pound shells, as they rushed 
through the air, and burst in the rebel lines with 
a report as if the globe had exploded, carrying 
death and dismay into the enemy's ranks un- 
paralled in the history of the war, the continuous * 
flash and roar of the long train of artillery on 
Malvern Hill, the vivid flashes and incessant 
ratde of musketry, the shouts of the enraged 
combatants, all gave proof of a terrible battle. 



I JO BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

The enemy fought with the recklessness of 
despair, but they could not accomplish impossibil- 
ities, and one assault after the other met the 
same result. No troops on the face of the earth 
could have carried the Union position, and it 
seemed like sheer madness for the rebel leaders 
to thus sacrifice their men. The battle raged till 
almost sundown, when the rebel columns, no 
doubt now fully aware of the utter hopelessness 
of the contest, broke and fled in the wildest con- 
fusion from the field. Never had men more re- 
solutely advanced to an assault, and never were 
they more justifiable in falling back, than the col- 
umn of rebel troops that charged on Malvern Hill. 

I was in the yard watching the progress of the 
battle, earnestly hoping and praying that our 
troops would be successful, but fearing every mo- 
ment that some part of our line would give way, 
and disaster follow our army, but while thus en- 
gaged, I was surprised and delighted to see a 
stream of flying men issuing from the wood in 
the rear of Magruder's position. It soon became 
evident that his entire division was completely 
broken, and was leaving the field in the utmost 
confusion.. In 'a few moments after, the field in 
the rear of the woods was crowded with a mass 
of fleeinof fuofitives, and the shells from the Union 
guns cutting them down at every step. The 
panic soon spread along the entire rebel line, and 
it fell back in terrible disorder. 



REBELS IN RETREAT. I7I 

The ereatest excitement existed amonof us at 
the hospital, and some of the men could hardly 
be kept from cheering when witnessing the 
flight of the enemy. Some of the shells from 
the Union gunboats commenced to fall in rather 
close proximity to the hospital, but we were too 
much elated at the defeat of the enemy to care 
much for that. In the excitement of the hour we 
commenced to entertain a strong hope that we 
would be re-captured by our men. Had the 
Union troops advanced after the defeat of the 
enemy, we certainly would have been, as the 
rebels had enouorh to look after themselves with- 
out molestinor us. The defeat of the rebels was 
most thorough and complete ; they had not only 
failed in accomplishing the purpose they had in 
view when they made the assault, but had been 
driven from the field with the most friofhtful 
slaughter, and it was with the utmost difficulty 
that they could get any of their men to rally as 
far back as the hospital. I saw Gen Magruder 
riding back and forth, swearing and raving like a 
madman, trying to re-form his lines, but all in 
vain. I do not believe that he succeeded in re- 
forminof a reeiment of his division that nif^ht. 
Close in the rear of the house I saw the colors of 
an Alabama regiment with less than a dozen men 
around them, and an officer making the most frantic 
appeals to the balance of the regiment to halt 
and form in line ; but the most of them made in 



172 BATTLE FIELD AxMD PRLSON PEN. 

hot haste for the fortifications of Richmond, and I 
am confident that not twenty men of the regiment 
re-formed with the colors that nio-ht. 

The Union guns kept up a slow, continuous 
fire on the enemy in the early part of the even- 
ing, but by ten o'clock the last shot was fired, and 
the great Seven Days' struggle had come to a 
close. Durlnor the nlo^ht laro^e numbers of rebel 
wounded were brouorht in and laid on the orround 
around us, and a constant stream of them were 
belnof loaded In ambulances and wagons and sent 
in the direction of Richmond. The cries and 
groans of the poor wretches rang in our ears all 
night, and I commenced to think that In the con- 
fusion and hurry of getting the wounded out of 
the way the enemy might not keep a strict watch 
over us, and consequently there might be some 
chance to escape to our lines, so I determined to 
make the effort. I left the yard, and cautiously 
passing through the long rows of wounded, took 
a survey of the situation. I found, however, that 
a line of rebel guards extended around the 
hospital, and that escape was Impossible. In the 
morning a line of rebel skirmishers advanced a 
short distance in the direction of Malvern Hill, 
and we found with sorrow that the Union forces 
had fallen back, and we were sure of having a 
taste of prison life in the South. 

A number of Union surgeons were captured 
with us, and they with the rebel surgeons were 



SURGEONS AT WORK. I 73 

kept busy amputating limbs, and in other ways 
attending to the wounded. I here witnessed the 
most extraordinary display of nerve and courage 
I have ever witnessed in my life. A captain in a 
Union regiment had his leg so badly shattered 
that he was informed that amputation was neces- 
sary. He was propped up, and without giving 
him anaesthetics of any kind, the doctors took off 
his leg, the unfortunate man watching the opera- 
tion with as little display of fear or nervousness 
as if the doctors were performing the simplest 
service for him. 

On the morning after the close of the fighting, 
the most terrible reports commenced to come in 
about the condition of a large number of Union 
wounded who were yet lying on the field, who 
had fallen in the battle on Monday, at Charles 
City cross roads. It had rained very heavily since 
the battle, and it was said that the low grounds 
beinof overflown with water, som.e of the men had 
drowned, and others were in the most wretched 
condition, and would have to perish if speedy 
relief was not sent to them. The Union surgeons 
secured the consent of the rebel authorities at the 
hospital to (it out an expedition and try to save 
them, and a number of wagons were furnished for 
that purpose. A number of prisoners, some of 
them wounded, but in such a manner as not to 
interfere with their duties, were selected to go 
with the train and load the wounded. I was se- 



174 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

lected to take charge of the squad, and furnished 
with paper and pencil, and instructions to return 
a written report of the condition of the field. We 
were accompanied by a few guards, and to farther 
protect us from the rebel soldiers who might be 
rambling over the field, we had white strips of 
muslin tied around our caps. Thus fitted out, we 
proceeded on our mission of mercy, and it was 
not long before we reached the battle field. 

The dead had not been burled, and the sight 
that met our eyes was horrible to behold. They 
lay thick on the ground, and In some places were 
heaped on top of each other, and presented a 
sight so sickening that we could hardly proceed. 
All had the appearance of being plundered by 
rebel stragglers, their pockets being turned inside 
out. Lying among the dead were a number of 
wounded, and the hope of helping them gave us 
nerve and strength to do what, under other cir- 
cumstances, would have been an impossibility. I 
had been instructed to remove only such as would 
probably have a chance of recovery, and not dis- 
turb those who were past hope ; but I soon found 
it hard to discriminate between them. They 
begged with tears In their eyes to be taken, and I 
soon loaded as many as we could take. We 
lifted quite a number out of the water and mud, 
and made them as comfortable as we could, and 
then started with our load for the hospital. On 
the way, several died, and I was told by one of the 




DEATH IN THE TRENCHES. 



OFF FOR RICHMOND. I 75 

doctors that I should not have loaded men who 
were so hopelessly wounded. We had expected 
to be sent out again ; but, in the meantime, it had 
been decided to brinof no more wounded to our 
hospital, and we did not get to go. 

As we were shortly afterward sent to Rich- 
mond, I never found out what means, if any, were 
taken to help the poor fellows; but I have no 
doubt that hundreds of them perished that might 
have been saved, had the proper means been 
taken. On the morning of the Fourth of July, 
all of the wounded not nursing at the hospital, 
and who could walk, were ordered to fall into 
line, and, after bidding our comrades a sad fare- 
well, we left for Richmond. We had proceeded 
but a short distance, when I made a narrow escape 
from being shot by one of the guards. I was 
walking along carelessly, thinking of our miserable 
condition, when I unthinkingly stepped a few steps 
to the side of the column. A guard, who at least 
pretended to think that I was going to make an 
attempt to escape, raised his rifle to his shoulder 
and aimed it for my head, and I suppose would 
have shot me down like a dog, had not one of my 
comrades caught me by the arm and jerked me 
back into the ranks. The brute of a ofuard cursed 
me, and said that if I attempted that again he 
would blow the head off my shoulders. The idea 
of making an attempt to escape had never entered 
my mind. 



176 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

It had been confidently asserted by the North- 
ern press that Richmond would be In possession 
of our troops by the Fourth of July, and the rebels 
appeared to be fully aware of this, and we had to 
hear it oftener than was pleasant. "Well, you 
Yanks did get to Richmond by the Fourth, did 
you?" greeted our ears along the way, and by the 
time we had reached the city, it appeared as if the 
entire population had prepared themselves to join 
the grand chorus. Our appearance seemed to 
give them intense delight; but some of our boys 
would keep telling them that they would some day 
see the ''Yanks" enter the city, when the laugh 
would be on the other side of the mouth. As we 
marched through the city, we felt somewhat 
anxious as to what kind of a place we were to be 
shut up in; but we were not kept long in sus- 
pense, for we soon marched up to a long, dingy- 
lookinof brick buildinor somethinof over a hundred 
feet long, and nearly as wide. The sign at the 
one end, "Libby & Son," convinced us that we 
had arrived at the infamous prison of that name. 
It certainly presented a dreary and uninviting ap- 
pearance, and we sincerely hoped that our stay in 
it would not be lonor. After beinor searched for 
arms and valuables, v/e marched into the building, 
and our first experience of life in Southern prisons 
had commenced. 

After finding myself locked from the outer 
world, I looked around to examine what kind of a 



II 



LIBBY PRISON. I 7 7 

place we had been shut in. I found it to be a 
room about forty feet wide, and nearly one hun- 
dred feet lono;. At one end of this room was a 
wooden water trough, and a spigot to draw water 
from, which gave us at least the privilege of 
washing. The room was without furniture of any 
kind, and the floor was filthy in the extreme. The 
few low windows at the front but poorly lit up the 
room, giving it a dreary and desolate appearance. 
I was informed that five more rooms of the same 
size, and several basement rooms, composed what 
was known as Libby Prison — a name that will be 
synonomous with all that is horrible and cruel ; 
and as the Tower of London and the Black Hole 
of Calcutta appear in English history, and the 
military prison of Paris in French history, so will 
Libby prison appear in American history, and it 
will ever remain a blot on the boasted civilization 
of the age, and a stigma on the American people. 
In this dreary and desolate room, crowded to 
overflowing with prisoners, almost all sick or 
wounded, I stayed twenty-three days ; but as I 
was subsequently a much longer time a captive 
in the hands of the enemy, and at a time when 
prison-life was even less endurable, I will not give 
a detailed description of my imprisonment at this 
time. I deem it but just to say, however, that the 
treatment we received at this time, although bad, 
was yet much better than the prisoners received 
during the last two years of the war. The food 
12 



178 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

was of a better quality and also more of it, and 
more attention was paid to the sick and wounded 
at this time than later. Several United States 
surgeons, who had also been captured, were al- 
lowed to come and see us daily, which was con- 
siderable of a comfort and benefit. 

A few days before my parole we had been in- 
formed that we would be sent to Belle Island, in 
the James river, and as it was represented as 
being quite a pleasant place as compared to 
Libby, we all felt anxious to go and stay there as 
long as we should be compelled to be prisoners 
of war. About this time, however, the wound in 
my arm was getting somewhat troublesome. 
The arm from the wound to the hand had be- 
come full of dark spots, and threatened to get 
very sore. My lacerated thumb was also in a 
highly inflamed and painful condition, and I was 
terribly alarmed one morning to find that my jaws 
were aching fearfully and appeard to be getting 
stiff, and that I could not without the greatest 
difficulty swallow food. One of the men in the 
room had died a few days before of lock-jaw, and 
the fear of taking that terrible disease filled my 
heart with gloom, and I could hardly wait until the 
arrival of the doctors. As soon as I could get to 
them, I informed them of it. They examined my 
arm and thurnxb carefully, and then put me under 
treatment, as I supposed for lock-jaw.v 

It was on this day that the removal of prisoners 



I 



BELLE ISLAND. I 79 

to Belle Island commenced, and, as stated before, 
we all felt anxious to go ; but It appears that a 
number of the worst wounded were to be paroled 
and sent to our lines, and that I was one of the 
number selected for that purpose. But as I did 
not know this, I felt very indignant when the most 
of my comrades marched out and I was compelled 
to stay. To add to my misery, I found that I 
could not swallow any of the food which I received 
during the day, and I was settling down in utter 
despair, when it was announced to us that we 
were to get ready to be sent to the Union lines. 
My sorrow was immediately turned to joy, and 
although I felt fearful about the disease that ap- 
peared to be fastening itself on me, I felt rejoiced 
that I could at least have the satisfaction of dying 
away from the terrible scenes surrounding me, 
and under the folds of the dear old flag. 

We were immediately sent down the James 
river to Mill Creek Union Hospital, near Fortress 
Monroe, and there surrounded with all the care 
and kindness we could wish for. In about one 
month I regained Q-ood health, and was sent to 
Camp Parole, at Annapolis, Maryland. After be- 
ing at that place for about six weeks, I was ex- 
changed and sent to my regiment. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS OUR CAPTURE AND 

RE-CAPTURE. 

f\N the first of March, 1864, Congress passed an 
^ act authorizing the President to appoint an 
officer of the grade of Lieutenant-General, who 
was to assume command of all the land forces of 
the Government. On the tenth of the same 
month, President Lincoln appointed General U. 
S. Grant to that important position. Grant was 
in Nashville, Tenn., at the time he was notified of 
his appointment, and immediately hastened to 
Washinofton to take command. In a creneral or- 
der, he announced his intention of making his 
headquarters with the Army of the Potomac, and 
accompanying it in person in the campaign against 
Richmond. The army was in winter quarters at 
Culpepper, Va., and was under the gallant Major 
General Geo. C. Meade, whose fitness to com- 
mand that splendid organization had been fully 
tested at Gettysburg. 

Meade had, during the winter, thoroughly reor- 
ganized his command, and when it entered on the 
spring campaign, it was probably (with the excep- 
tion of McClellan's army when it marched for 
the Peninsula) the best equipped and drilled 

(.So) 



GEN. GRANT IN COMMAND. l8l 

army ever marshaled in this country. The First 
and Third corps had been broken up, and distrib- 
uted Into the Second, Fifth and Sixth. The Second 
was commanded by Major General W. S. Han- 
cock, the Fifth by Major General G. K. Warren, 
and the Sixth by Major General John Sedgwick. 
These officers had gready distinguished them- 
selves, and were recognized as three of the best 
corps commanders In the Union army. The cav- 
alry was In command of Major General Sheridan, 
who was ordered from the West for that special 
purpose. Major General Burnside was in com- 
mand of a force of about forty thousand men 
encamped at Annapolis, Maryland. This force 
was Intended as a reserve corps for the Army of 
the Potomac, but was kept at Annapolis until the 
army was ready to move, evidently for the pur- 
pose of putting the rebel authorises under the 
impression that It was intended to strike some 
point along the Southern coast. Major General 
B. F. Buder was also in command of an army of 
about forty thousand men, with headquarters at 
Fortress Monroe. This body of men was called 
the Army of the James, and was intended to 
co-operate with the Army of the Potomac, by at- 
tackinor Richmond via Bermuda Hundred and Pe- 
tersburg. The combined force, whose objective 
point was the capture of Richmond, numbered, 
about 200,000 men. Major General Siegel was 
also In command of a considerable force in the 



1 82 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Shenandoah Valley. He was directed to move 
on Lynchburg at the same time Meade and But- 
ler moved on Richmond. Grant made his head- 
quarters with the army of the Potomac, and per- 
sonally directed Its movements. There can be no 
doubt but that this had much to do In detracting 
from the honor that really belonged to Meade. 
The army was constantly spoken of as Grant's 
army, and the fact that he was with the army 
would do much to produce the belief that he, 
more than Meade, deserved credit for compelling 
the surrender of the greatest chieftain in the 
Confederate army. Gen. Meade had saved the 
country In one of Its greatest crises, and, judging 
from the military genius he displayed wherever In 
command, the impartial reader can come to no 
other conclusion but that, had he been In chief 
command, Lee's overthrow would have been just 
as certain, and as soon accomplished. General 
Grant, in a dispatch to the Government, said of 
Meade: "Commanding all the armies, as I did, I 
tried as far as possible to leave Gen. Meade in 
independent command of the Army of the Poto- 
mac. My instructions were all through him, and 
were o-eneral in their nature, leavlnor all the de- 
tails and execution to him. The campaign that 
followed proved him to be the right man In the 
right place. His commanding always in the pres- 
ence of an officer superior to him In rank has 
drawn from him much of the public attention 



THE SHENANDOAH CAMPAIGN. 1 83 

which his zeal and ability entitled him to, and 
which he would have otherwise received." 

The campaigns of General Siegel, and of his 
successor, Gen. Hunt, in the Shenandoah Valley 
where a series of blunders that resulted in the 
Union forces being driven from the valley with 
heavy loss. This campaign, in place of terminat- 
ing in the capture of Lynchburg, and assisting 
Meade's forces in the capture of Richmond, en- 
dangered the Capital at Washington to such an 
extent as to necessitate the sending of a portion 
of the Army of the Potomac, under the gallant 
Sheridan, to the valley. Gen, Butler's campaign 
south of the James river was equally unfortunate, 
and only resulted in repeated disasters to his 
army. As these generals received all the odium 
connected with their respective campaigns, and 
their forces were under the command of the 
Lieutenant-General, as well as Meade's army, it 
would be but fair to suppose that Mende was 
equally entitled to the credit of conducting the 
campaign that ended in the surrender of the 
rebel army at Appomattox Court House. At the 
time Grant established his headquarters with the 
Army of the Potomac, our division (the Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves) was encamped along the line of 
the Orange and Alexandria railroad, our regi- 
ment (the First) being in camp at Bristow Station. 

On the 29th of April we broke camp and 
marched to Warrenton, a distance of thirty 



184 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

miles, where we camped for the night. Early in 
the morning we continued our march, moving in 
the direction of Culpepper. We crossed the 
Rappahannock river at Rappahannock Station, 
and by evening had reached the army. We had 
been for some time separated from the main 
army, and were glad to get back to it again. 
We all knew that we were on the eve of an im- 
portant campaign, and one that would in all 
probability close the war. The greatest enthusi- 
asm existed throughout the entire camp, and all 
had the utmost confidence in the two oreat 
soldiers who were to lead us. On the 3d of May 
the camp was in a furor of excitement, and all 
anxiously waited for the orders to move. The 
army had been reinforced, and everything now 
appeared to be in readiness to commence the 
campaign that was to break the backbone of the 
rebellion. 

General Meade during the day issued the fol- 
lowing order, which was read to every regiment 
in the evening on dress parade : 

Headquarters Army of the Potomac, '^ 

May 3, 1864. j 

Soldiers: Again you are called upon to advance on the enemies of 
your country. The time and the occasion are deemed opportune by 
your commanding General to address you a few words of confidence 
and caution. You have been reorganized, strengthened, and fully 
equipped in every respect. You form a part of the several armies of your 
country, the whole under an able and distinguished General, who enjoys 



FORWARD AGAIN. 1 85 

the confidence of the government, the people, and the army. Your 
movement being m co-operation with others, it is of the utmost 
importance that no effort should be spared to make it successful. 
Soldiers, the eyes of the whole country are looking with anxious 
hope to the blow you are about to strike in the most sacred cause 
that ever called men to arms. Remember your homes, your wives, 
and your children, and bear in mind that the sooner your enemies 
are overcome, the sooner you will be returned to enjoy the bless- 
ings and benefits of peace. Bear with patience the hardships you 
will be called upon to endure. Have confidence in your officers 
and each other. Keep your ranks on the march and on the battle 
field, and let each man earnestly implore God's blessing, and en- 
deavor by his thoughts and actions to render himself worthy of 
the favor he seeks. With clear conscience and strong arms, ac- 
tuated by a high sense of duty, fighting to preserve the government 
and the institutions handed down to us by our forefathers, if true 
to ourselves, victory, under God's blessing, must and will attend our 

efforts. 

George G. Meade, 

Major General Conimanding. 

Directly after midnight, May 4th, the reveille in 
the Union army was beaten. Soon after^ the 
troops were marching from their camps, and the 
great movement against the rebel capital had be- 
gun. Our corps (the Fifth) marched out on the 
Fredericksburg plank-road, and some time in the 
forenoon crossed the Rapidan river at Germania 
Ford. We marched until about four o'clock in 
the afternoon, when we camped for the night, 
having gone a distance of thirty miles. Our camp 
for the night was in the vicinity of what Is known 
as the Wilderness tavern. The Sixth corps had 



1 86 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

followed on the same road, and had also crossed 
the river, its left connecting with our right. Gen- 
eral Hancock's corps crossed at Ely's ford, and 
marched to Chancellorsville. General Burnside, 
with the Ninth corps, had left Annapolis, Mary- 
land, about a week before, and by forced marches, 
succeeded in getting into camp at Culpepper at 
about the time the movement beofun. He was 
instructed to stay in camp twenty-four hours, 
and then follow the army. It does not appear 
to have been Grant's plan to fight the battle 
of the Wilderness, but to compel Lee to abandon 
his strong position by a movement on his right 
flank, thinking, no doubt, that if Lee would find 
his communications with Richmond in dauQfer 
of being severed, he would withdraw from the 
Wilderness, and be compelled to fight on ground 
where the chances of success would be more 
favorable to the Union army. The tract of land 
known as the Wilderness is covered with "scrub 
oak, low pines, cedar, and brush." It is crossed 
in all directions by a number of narrow roads, 
and numerous foot or cattle paths. So dense 
was the undergrowth where the ground was 
wet and low, that it was almost impossible for 
troops to get through; and the entire nature of 
the ground was of such a description that it was 
almost impossible to bring cavalry or artillery into 
action. Lee, who was familiar with the country, 
and had beaten Hooker on nearly the same 



COUNTER MOVEMENTS. I 87 

ground, had selected this wild and Isolated place 
for a defensive position. He had added to its 
natural strength by a complete system of fortifica- 
tions, which extended for twenty miles to the 
rleht and left of Oranore Court House. Had 
Grant attacked him on his left or Iront, Lee's 
position would have given him all the advantage; 
but the weak point In his line was his right Hank, 
and Grant and Meade seemed soon to have dis- 
covered It. Lee, who was undoubtedly deceived 
by Grant's movements, was unprepared to resist 
the passage of the Rapidan, and the movements 
of the Federal troops on the first day endangered 
his position to such an extent that Immediate 
steps became necessary to prevent Grant from 
completely turning his right wing and cutting off 
his communications. But Lee was not the com- 
mander to be very long deceived by the move- 
ments of an opponent. He Immediately com- 
menced a movement on Grant's right flank, 
assuming' an "oft'enslve defensive" attitude that 
would compel Grant to give him battle on ground 
of his own choosing. In this movement Lee was 
entirely successful, and it soon became evident 
that Grant would have to fight him where the 
chances would be greatly against our side. 

Lee's army had been strongly reinforced by 
Longstreet's corps, which had just arrived from 
the west, and as near as can be ascertained the 
two opposing armies were about equal In num- 



1 88 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

bers when the fiofhtlnof commenced. Lee had 
greatly the advantage In fighting in a country 
where he was famiHar with every foot of the 
ground, and could resist almost every movement 
of his opponent with fortified positions. Grant, 
on the other hand, had the advantage durlnor the 
campaign, that followed in being strongly rein- 
forced. It does not appear that Lee received 
any considerable number after the fighting com- 
menced. Grant was strongly reinforced after the 
first battle. On the night of the 4th of May, 
when the Union army was resting In its camps 
waiting for the dawn to continue the movement 
on Lee's flank, that crafty commander w^as mov- 
ing his army In two parallel lines on Grant's right 
flank. He had moved Gen. Ewell's corps on the 
turnpike and Gen. HilPs on the plank road, and 
before morning had them in position in front of 
the right wing of our army. 

There was a strange analogy between the two 
opposing armies on the morning before the great 
battle; each commander had moved on the right 
flank of his opponent, and yet from somewhat 
different motives. Long before daylight, May 
5th, the Union army was in line, waiting for the 
orders to advance. At about sunrise the march 
was continued, but we had not proceeded more 
than about one-half mile when Information was 
received that the enemy was in our front. It was 
evidently somewhat of a surprise to our officers, 



IN THE WILDERNESS 1 89 

as the appearance of the enemy was unexpected. 
Preparations were Immediately made to give 
them battle. Our corps (the Fifth) was concen- 
trated on the pike and ordered to attack the 
enemy In our front whenever an opportunity pre- 
sented Itself. The Sixth corps was ordered to 
move to the right of the Fifth and attack the 
rebels, who were moving In heavy columns In 
that direction, and endano-erinof our line of com- 
munlcations. General Hancock was ordered to 
" deflect his line of march, and take position with 
his corps on the left of the Fifth." The position 
of our division (the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps) 
In the early part of the day was on Major Lacy's 
farm. At about ten o'clock we were ordered to 
move In the direction of Parker's store and form 
a line of battle. We moved along cautiously, meet- 
ing a few rebel skirmishers, who fled at our ap- 
proach. We then formed In line of battle near 
the plank-road, our regiment (the First) and the 
Bucktalls being on the extreme left. Directly 
after forming line, Capton Wasson, commanding 
our company, was ordered to take his command 
and move through the woods beyond for the pur- 
pose of reconnoltering the enemy's lines. This 
wood was a perfect wilderness, being composed 
of '' low-limbed and scraggy pines, stiff-bristling 
chlncaplns," and brush of every description. 
Through It, however, were several foot or cattle 
paths, on one of which we took our line of march. 



190 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

After proceeding about one-half mile, we came to 
an opening, or small tract of cleared land. Along 
the edge of the woods on the other side, we could 
see a line of troops, but could not at first deter- 
mine to what army they belonged. "When we 
started, we were cautioned to be careful about 
firing on any one, as Gen. Getty's division (which 
had been detached from the Sixth corps) was 
moving for position on our left. After discover- 
ing the presence of troops in our front, we came 
to a halt and tried to make out where they be- 
longed. They had by this time became aware of 
our presence, and evidently were about as much 
perplexed about us as we were about them. We 
were, however, not to be left long in doubt as 
to what side they belonged ; for one of them ad- 
vanced a few steps from his line, and unfurled a 
large rebel flag. We could hardly be kept from 
firing on them ; but as our captain had received 
instructions not to brinor on an en^aorement, he 
would not let us fire. As we fell back, the rebels 
fired one shot at us, which passed harmlessly over 
our heads. We slowly fell back to the line. 
About an hour after, Lieut. Wilder and ten men 
from Company B were ordered to make a recon- 
noissance in the same direction. As our company 
had been over the ground. Col. Talley thought it 
would be best to send two men from it with the 
detail. The Colonel then asked for two volun- 
teers from the company, and William Bruce and 



SKIRMISHING. I9I 

myself offered our services and accompanied the 
squad. We had proceeded but a short distance 
when we encountered the enemy, who had ad- 
vanced and occupied the wood our company had 
just marched through. We were driven back to 
our regiment, making a narrow escape from death 
or captivity. Companies C and K were then sent 
out to dislodge them ; but, finding the enemy in 
strong force, fell back in haste to our lines. The 
severe fighting did not commence, however, until 
about twelve o'clock, when the divisions of Grifnn 
and Wadsworth, of our corps, which had position 
on the right of our division, met the enemy, and 
soon became hotly engaged. The rebels, who 
were commanded by Gen. Ewell, were driven 
back, and a decided advantage would have been 
gained, had the difficult nature of the ground not 
prevented the Sixth corps from getting into posi- 
tion in time to assist Griffin and Wadsworth. 
The advantasfe thus gained was unfortunate in 
the end, as it exposed the extreme right flahk of 
our corps. The enemy soon took advantage of 
it, and attacking Griffin with great fury, succeeded 
in turning his right flank, and compelling him to 
fall back. The division of Wadsworth, after the 
most desperate fighting, was also compelled to give 
way, and the enemy succeeded in getting between 
his troops and our division. The right wing of 
our division was now in great peril, but bravely 
held its ground. 



192 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

During this time the fighting on our left was 
also very severe. A. P. Hill's rebel corps had at- 
tacked and driven in the cavalry, when they en- 
countered Getty's division of the Sixth corps. 
Getty, although outnumbered three to one, 
bravely held his ground until the arrival of Gen- 
eral Hancock with the Second corps. Had 
Getty's command given way, our division would 
have been surrounded and cut off from the army. 
As stated before, Hancock had marched his com- 
mand to Chancellorsville, where he was in camp 
on the morning the battle opened. When he re- 
ceived the order to deflect his march, he obeyed 
with his usual alacrity, and his arrival on the field 
was most fortunate. Hill's entire corps was con- 
tending with Getty's division, which could not 
much Ioniser have held out ao^ainst the tremen- 
dous odds it was fighting. Hancock promptly 
brought his corps into action, and for three hours 
the battle on this part of the field raged with the 
most intense fury. Directly after a gap was 
created between Wadsworth's command and our 
division on our right, and Getty's lines were 
threatened with destruction on our left, an aid 
rode up to Gen. Crawford, and informed him that 
his command was in danger of being surrounded, 
and if he did not withdraw immediately, his 
retreat would be cut off Almost the entire Third 
briorade of our division was on the skirmish line. 
The Second brigade, under the command of Col. 



WITHDRAWING THE SKH^MISHERS. 1 93 

McCandless, had been sent to support Wads- 
worth's hard-pressed troops. Our brigade was 
in line in the rear of the Third brigade. Gen. 
Crawford took immediate measures to withdraw 
his command from its dangerous position. To 
Col. Fisher, a most meritorious officer, was as- 
signed the duty of withdrawing the skirmish line 
in our front. A messenofer was sent to Col. Mc- 
Candless, ordering him to return to the division. 
Col. Fisher, with great skill, succeeded In with- 
drawing the skirmish line, and the First and Second 
brigades were ordered to a position about one 
mile in the rear. The Second brigade was, how- 
ever, not so fortunate. The messenger sent to 
inform McCandless of his danger, did not find 
him ; the consequence was, his command was 
surrounded by the enemy, who had advanced rap- 
idly over the ground vacated by the other two 
brigades. Col. McCandless was, however, too 
good a soldier to surrender his command without 
making a desperate effort to save it. Finding 
himself unsupported, and being surrounded, he 
ordered his command to " about-face," and en- 
deavor to withdraw from a position he knew had 
become untenable. The movement was made 
none too soon, as a rebel column had formed In 
Una in his rear to cut off his escape. He imme- 
diately ordered the Eleventh regiment to charge 
on this line and open the road. This command 
was obeyed in the most gallant style, the men 



194 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

charging with an Impetuosity that scattered the 
rebels in every direction. The most of the Sec- 
ond, Sixth, and Eleventh regiments succeeded in 
escaping through the opening made by the charge, 
but lost severely in killed and wounded. The 
Seventh regiment, commanded by Col. Bollinger, 
had been advanced too far in the woods to be 
successfully withdrawn, and the Colonel, with 
almost his entire regiment, were captured and 
taken to Richmond as prisoners of war. During 
the fighting, the woods caught fire, and it is said 
" a number of the unfortunate wounded burned to 
death." Our division was re-formed on Lacy's 
farm, which position we held during the night. 
The Sixth corps, on the right, in moving for posi- 
tion, had encountered the enemy several times 
during the day, and had some severe fighting — 
but very little was accomplished in that direction. 
Owlno^ to the difficult nature of the ground, Sede- 
wick did not get his entire corps Into position 
during the day. A demonstration by Hancock's 
corps, supported by a portion of the Fifth, put an 
end to the fighting for the first day ; but little was 
accomplished, however, by this, more than to get 
the lines into good position, to renew the conflict 
in the morning. Night had put an end to the 
fighting, and both armies rested on their arms, 
waiting anxiously for the dawning of another day. 
The desperate nature of the fighting, and indeci- 
sive results arising from it, were enough to convince 



THE VERGE OF BATTLE. 1 95 

US that terrible would be the carnage before the 
ereat battle was decided. Two armies, -whose 
combined strength numbered fully one-fourth of a 
million men, commanded by the best military men 
of the age, had locked in a deadly embrace, and 
both would have to suffer severely before the 
contest was over. Only those wlio have been in 
like situations can fully appreciate the feelings of 
a soldier on the night after an indecisive battle. 
Many of his comrades have fallen, and he knows 
that before the setting of another sun, many more 
will be added to the '' bivouac of the dead." He 
cannot avoid thinking that the chances are many 
that he, too, may be among the number ; and how 
lovingly he thinks of the dear ones at home, and 
hopes and prays that he may meet them again. 
I have frequently heard men say that the soldiers 
who fought for the Union were prompted by sel- 
fish ends, and that men never go to war from 
patriotic motives. " They enlisted for the money," 
is a common expression made use of by that kind 
of people. No baser or more cowardly slander 
could be invented against the dead, who died to 
protect the lives and property of their slanderers. 
Had the men who whipped the rebel army at 
Gettysburg been moved by no other motive than 
the few paltry dollars they received for their ser- 
vices, the boast of the rebel General Toombs, 
that he would call the roll of his slaves on 
Bunker Hill, would have become a fact. 



196 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

" An honest soldier ne'er despise, 
Or count him as a stranger ; 
Remember, he's his country's stay 
In hour and time of danger," 



The first day's battle closed without any ma- 
terial advantage to either side ; if any existed at 
all it was probably on the side of the rebels. The 
loss in killed and wounded was about equal ; but 
the greater part of Warren's corps had been 
thrown into some confusion, and lost a consider- 
able number of prisoners. No blame can, however, 
be attached to Gen. Warren and his corps. His 
attack at noon would undoubtedly have been a 
complete success, had not the want of roads and 
denseness of the thicket prevented Sedgwick from 
bringing his corps into action at the time. On 
the other hand, it may be said that Grant and 
Meade had received valuable information in re- 
gard to Lee's strength ; and, although they had 
not driven the rebel army from its position, they 
had held their own ao^ainst the fearful assaults 
made on them ; and a reasonable hope might be 
entertained that a decided success could be 
achieved on the morrow. General Burnside, with 
the Ninth corps arrived on the field late in the 
evening, and was moved to the right and rear of 
Hancock's corps, where it became evident the 
brunt of the battle would fall in the morning. 
Subsequent events proved that the disposition of 
Burnside's corps was most fortunate. General 



STILL FIGHTING. 1 97 

Longstreet's corps of the rebel army arrived on 
the field during- the night, and re-inforced General 
Hill, whose corps held position in front of Han- 
cock's lines. 

At daylight, May 5th, Hancock opened the bat- 
tle by a vigorous charge on the enemy in his 
front. The attack was at first successful, and 
Hill's rebel corps was compelled to give way, 
losing a large number of prisoners, and five 
stands of colors. Hill's hard-pressed troops were 
at this time re-inforced by Longstreet's corps, who, 
as yet, had not been in action. Longstreet and 
Hill succeeded in rallying Hill's broken divisions, 
and uniting them with Longstreet's corps. The 
combined rebel host pressed forward on Han- 
cock's lines. Then issued one of the most ter- 
rible battles known in the annals of the war. 
Hancock was at last compelled to give way and 
fall back to the Brock road, where, being re-in- 
forced by the Ninth and part of the Fifth corps, he 
succeeded in holding his position. It was in this 
action that the lamented General Wadsworth was 
killed and Getty severely w^ounded. On the right, 
Gen. Sedgwick's corps also became furiously en- 
gaged with Ewell's rebel corps, early in the morn- 
ing. Ewell commenced the battle by a charge 
on the Union line, and was driven back with 
terrible slaughter. At about ten o'clock Ewell 
renewed the battle, but was again defeated. At 
about noon the fighting stopped entirely, and 



198 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

for four hours peace and quiet reigned along the 
entire front. During the heavy fighting on the 
rlo-ht and left, our corps held the centre of the 
line, and with the exception of Wadsworth's divi- 
sion, was not severely engaged. 

Durino- the lull In the hc^htlnof, both armies 
made preparations for another test of strength. 
The rebels had acraln massed In front of Han- 
cock's lines, and that part of the field was again 
to bear the brunt of the battle. Hancock's line 
advanced from the Brock road, and Stevenson's 
division, of Burnslde's corps, was placed In posi- 
tion between the Second and Fifth corps. The 
balance of the Ninth corps was in position in the 
rear of the Second. At about four o'clock the 
cheering and rapid volleys of musketry announced 
the advance of the enemy. The two large corps 
of Longstreet and Hill, directed by Longstreet, 
who was known as the most rapid and desperate 
fighter in the rebel army, fell like a thunderbolt 
on the right of Hancock's corps and Stevenson's 
division of the Ninth. Birney's division of Han- 
cock's corps was in position on the right, and It, 
with Stevenson's, received the brunt of the attack. 
After the most desperate fighting, these two divi- 
sions were compelled to fall back. The rebel 
troops rapidly advanced through the gap thus 
created, and penetrated to within a short distance 
of Meade's headquarters. 

Their success was, however, short-lived. Gen. 



THE ENEMY REPULSED. 1 99 

Hancock ordered Gibbon's division of his corps to 
charge on die advancing rebel hosts, and after a 
terrible hand-to-hand conflict, first stayed the fur- 
ther advance of the enerny, and then drove them 
from the field, re-capturing BIrney's entrenched 
position. The balance of the Second, Ninth, and 
Fifth corps were rapidly brought into action, and 
the battle raged with great fury until night. The 
rebels were defeated, and Lee's most desperate 
effort to cut throui^-h our lines was frustrated It 

o 

is said when Lee saw his troops beaten back by 
our men, he rushed forward to lead a rebel brigade, 
but was prevented by his officers and men, who 
begged him not to expose himself in that way. 
During the heavy fighting on the left, our division 
became engaged with the enemy In our front, and 
defeated them. In the evening we marched to 
the assistance of Hancock's corps, but did not 
proceed far when we received word that the rebels 
were defeated; we then returned to our former 
position. During the day our brigade lost one of 
its best ofiflcers, Lieut. Col. Dare, of the Fifth regi- 
ment, who was killed at the head of his command. 
To all appearance the fighting was over ; not a 
shot was heard along the entire line, and we were 
thinking of getting a good night's rest. But in 
this we were greatly disappointed. Gen. Lee, 
after his terrible defeat in front of Hancock's 
lines, immediately made preparations to attack 
our right wing. Under cover of the night he rap- 



200 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

idly moved a heavy column of troops, and hurled 
them on our extreme right. We had just finished 
our suppers and were congratulating ourselves 
that the day's work was over, when rapid firing on 
our right dispelled the delusion. The rebel at- 
tack was a complete surprise, and for sometime 
threatened a serious disaster to our army. 

The rebels had succeeded in turning the right 
wing of the army, capturing two brigades of 
Sedgwick's corps, and getting possession of our 
line of communication by way of the Rapidan. 
Our division was ordered to fall In line and march 
to Sedgwick's support. Communications between 
the army and that corps had also been severed, 
and to our division was assigned the duty of 
opening them. '^ Guided by the roar of battle," 
we started on the march. As we did not know at 
what moment we might meet the enemy, we 
moved along with the utmost caution ; after pro- 
ceeding a short distance along the pike, we turned 
to the left, and followed a by-road down a hollow. 
As we marched through, we could distinctly hear 
the movements of a rebel battery on a hill to our 
left. With cautious steps and beating hearts, we 
worked our way slowly along, no one speaking 
above a whisper, and using the utmost care to 
prevent our tin-cups and equipments from clang- 
ing together or making any noise that would 
betray us to the enemy. After getting through 
the hollow, we continued our march through a 



THE BATTLE ENDED. 20I 

wood until we reached Sedgwick's lines. The 
fighting was by this time over, and as Sedgwick 
had stopped the further advance of the rebels, our 
services were not needed, and we returned to our 
former position on Lacy's farm. The fighting on 
the right ended what Is known In history as the 
battle of the Wilderness. In the morninof, Sede- 
wick's batteries on the right opened fire, and as 
the rebels did not reply, skirmishers were ad- 
vanced along the entire line, which demonstrated 
the fact that Lee had withdrawn his army, and 
was marchlnof In the direction of North Anna 
river. The battle of the Wilderness was a drawn 
battle, and neither army could claim much advan- 
tage over the other. The loss was probably about 
equal in killed and wounded, but the rebels held 
the largest number of prisoners. Their getting 
possession of our line of communications, by way 
of the Rapidan, was a barren victory to them, as 
the day after the battle closed, the city of Freder- 
icksburg was occupied by the Union forces, and 
communications opened with the army In that 
direction. Both armies lost severely In officers. 
On the Union side, Generals Wadsworth and 
Hayes were killed, and Generals Hancock, Getty, 
Gregg, Owen, Bartlett, and Carroll were wounded 
— Hancock but slightly, as he did not retire from 
the field. 

The rebels lost in killed, Generals Jones, Jen- 
kins and Stafford, and Generals Longstreet, Peg- 



202 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

ram, Rickett and Hunter were wounded. The 
wounding of Longstreet was a severe loss to the 
Rebel army, as it disabled him from further ser- 
vice during the war. He was, without doubt, one 
of the best commanders in the Southern army. 
With no disparagement to the other able corps 
commanders, it may be said, that to the great 
skill and bravery of General Hancock, more was 
due for the success that was achieved in this bat- 
tle than to any other corps commander on the 
field. 

As soon as it was fully ascertained that Lee 
was withdrawing entirely from the field, prepara- 
tions were made to pursue him. The cavalry 
marched out on the Brock road, and our corps 
was ordered to move past the Second and join in 
the pursuit. As we marched well to the front, In 
passing Hancock's lines, we had a good oppor- 
tunity of witnessing the terrible effects of the 
fighting on that part of the field. It was here 
that the colored troops received their first baptism 
of fire, and the large number of dead demon- 
strated how nobly they had sustained the ordeal. 
After we passed the Second corps, it fell in line 
and followed in our rear. The Sixth and Ninth 
corps marched on the Orange plank-road, "all 
converging to Spottsylvania Court House." 

During the night we marched slowly and made 
frequent short stops ; the cavalry being com- 
pelled to feel their way cautiously, as Lee was 



A CLOSE RACE. 203 

moving his army on a road parallel with the one 
we were on, and but a short distance from our 
column ; and as he was familiar with the ground, 
he might at any time stop and give us a blow. 
After daylight we commenced to move along rap- 
idly, and it soon became evident that we were 
racing with the rebel army for some object in our 
front. As we had a good rest the day before, 
and marched slowly during the night, we were in 
good marching condition, and all the men kept 
up to the work, and by nine o'clock the march 
became a double-quick, which was continued for 
nine or ten miles. The most of the men gave 
out, and, when we formed line of battle on the 
Po, the regiments were small indeed. Captain 
Wasson, commanding our company, had less than 
a dozen in line. Most of the men, however, suc- 
ceeded In getting up during the afternoon and 
joining their companies. It appeared to have 
been a race between Grant and Lee for position 
at Spottsylvania Court House, and Lee was suc- 
cessful, as he had the start and the shortest route. 
We may console ourselves with the fact that It 
was not a fair race, anyhow. The cavalry struck 
the rebel column at Elsop's farm, and skirmished 
with the enemy until the arrival of Griffin's and 
Robinson's division of our corps, which soon be- 
came severely engaged. The rebels were com- 
to fall back, but, being re-inforced, they made 
a desperate charge on Robinson's troops, and 



204 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

succeeded in forclnof his division from the field. 
Our division was at this time arriving on the 
field, and we were immediately ordered to form 
line, and charge on the advancing rebels. The 
troops on our left were fleeing from the field, 
and a rebel battery was pouring at short range 
volley after volley, in rapid succession, into their 
demoralized ranks. This battery our brigade was 
ordered to charge. As we were almost worn out 
by the marching, it was with some difficulty that 
the men could be brought into line. It was a 
critical moment. The rebels had attacked Grif- 
fin's division in overwhelming numbers, and it, 
with Robinson's division, was forced from the 
field with fearful loss, After we formed line to 
charge on the battery, it opened its fire on us, 
and for a short time the bricrade hesitated about 
advancing. Fortunately, a band belonging to one 
of the cavalry regiments came to our rear, and 
commenced playing a national air. The effect 
was almost maelcal ; the men commenced cheer- 
ing, and dashed forward on the rebels. The bat- 
tery was sending volley after volley of grape and 
canister into our ranks ; but on pressed the bri- 
gade, reserving its fire until within short range, 
when, opening on them, it dislodged the battery, 
and drove its supports to the rear. The charge 
was made in the most gallant style, and was a 
decided success, as it enabled the retiring troops 
to re-form their lines, and stop the further 



AGAIN IN BATTLE LINE. 205 

advance of the enemy. In the Impetuosity of the 
charge, we had, however, advanced too far, and 
belncr in imminent dancrer of bein^r flanked, we 
were withdrawn to the main Hne. Re-inforce- 
ments were rapidly coming up, and a brisk skir- 
mish was kept up all along the line during the 
afternoon ; but there was no heavy fighting until 
about six o'clock in the evening. 

In the meantime, we had refreshed ourselves 
with a good dinner ; the most of the men had also 
succeeded in getting a little sleep. At about five 
o'clock we aijain formed line of battle. Meade's 
entire army was now on the field. His line ex- 
tending from the north of Spottsylvania Court 
House along the Po river, our corps was again in 
the centre, the Sixth on our left, the Second 
on the right, and the Ninth in reserve. The 
marching of troops, the dashing back and forth 
of aids carrying dispatches, and more than all, 
the appearance of Meade and Grant on the field, 
inspecting the line, indicated that a great battle 
was again at hand. Directly after six o'clock the 
order was given to advance. As the mighty host 
moved forward, the loud cheering of the men 
indicated how little the hard fiehtinof and severe 
marching of the campaign had dampened the 
ardor of the army. The rebels were driven back 
for a considerable distance, and their first line of 
intrenchments carried. They then fell back to a 
strongly fortified position, from which they sue- 



206 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

cessfully defended themselves from the furious 
assaults of the Union troops. About dark, our 
division held a position along the edge of a wood. 
We were soon after ordered to advance through 
it and attack the enemy in our front. We had 
g-one but a short distance when we met the 
enemy, who held a strong intrenched position. 
They let us come close to their line, when they 
gave us a terrible volley of musketry. It was a 
complete surprise to us, and the line was thrown 
into some confusion ; but order was soon re- 
stored, and we commenced to return the enemy's 
fire. Fortunately for us the rebels had directed 
their fire too high, a shower of bullets passing 
over our heads, cutting the leaves and small limbs 
of the trees like a hail storm. 

Our brigade held its ground for some time ; 
but owing to the troops on our left giving way, 
we were flanked and compelled to fall back. Wc, 
at first, retired slowly, keeping up a continuous 
fire on the enemy, but finally broke and fled. 
After retreating a short distance, Col. Talley, 
commanding the brigade, made a determined 
effort to rally his men and check the rebel ad- 
vance. The result was, that he and about four 
hundred of- his men were captured and marched 
to the rear. When the line broke I ran for the 
rear; but, after getting to the place where the 
Colonel was tr}^ing to make a stand, I fell in line 
aorain, but soon wished that I had continued in my 



FLEEING FOR LIBERTY. 20/ 

flight. We made a short resistance, but found 
that certain death would be our fate If we did not 
surrender. The rebels had flanked us on the 
left, and were getting Into our rear; discovering 
this, I came to the conclusion to attempt an 
escape by running to the right. In the confusion 
I had succeeded In getting away, and would, no 
doubt, have escaped, had I not become confused 
in regard to the course I should pursue after get- 
ting away from my comrades. Had I turned to 
the right after running a few hundred yards, I 
would, no doubt, have succeeded in rettino- to our 
lines; but I continued running until I came to a 
small opening or clearing in the wood. I stopped 
to consider what would be best to do. As I was 
almost played out, and had got away from the 
rebels, at least for the present, I came to the con- 
clusion to lie down and take a rest, and watch for 
further developments. For a short time every- 
thing was as quiet as the grave ; and tired and 
worn out as I was, rest was very sweet, and I 
could hardly make up my mind to move. As I 
had had very little sleep for the last two nights, I 
soon became, after lying down, very sleepy. I 
was almost asleep, when I was startled by a small 
animal that ran close by me. I jumped up, but 
discovering the object of my alarm, I lay down 
again. However, I soon concluded to move on, 
and was getting up to do so, when I heard a 
noise as if some one was cominof throucrh the 



208 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

wood In my rear. I walked back a few steps and 
listened, when I discovered that a rebel skirmish, 
line was moving through the woods. Taking my 
gun at a trail arms, I started to run across the 
clearing, and had almost reached the other side, 
when the word "Halt!" from a skirmisher at the 
edge of the wood, brought me to a sudden stop. 
Thinking, however, that I had reached the Union 
lines, I stopped but an Instant, when I advanced, 
gun In hand, exclaiming, "Do not fire — I am a 
Union soldier!' The^ reply was, "Drop that gun 
and march In here, or I will put a ball through 
you." I again stopped, but did not drop the gun. 
The rebel repeated the order, when I threw down 
my gun and surrendered. My captors belonged 
to a North Carolina regiment, and were a gentle- 
manly, clever set of fellows, and as long as I was 
in their hands I was treated very kindly. After I 
was captured, one of them asked me where I had 
intended going. I told him I was trying to find 
the Union army. He replied, "O, never mind, 
you will soon find them, for In a few days we will 
have the rest of you." I could not help but tell 
him that, judging from the way they had kept up 
running since leaving the Wilderness, they, them- 
selves, must have feared capture. Somewhat to 
my surprise the rest laughed heartily, evidently 
enjoying the discomfiture of their comrade, who 
was inclined to be a little cross at what I suppose 
he considered my impudence. "O, that's all 



A PRISONER AGAIN. 209 

right ; we fell back to draw you on," he answered. 
Among my captors was a Sergeant Hill, who was 
especially kind to me. I had quite a chat with 
him, and, judging from what he told me, I do not 
think he was much of a rebel. Durine the nig-ht, 
my captors were relieved and sent to the rear, 
taking me with them. I was then given in charge 
of guards who proved themselves as mean as the 
others had been generous. As the sergeant left 
me, he bid me good-bye, and said he hoped I 
might soon be released and get home. We also 
exchanged addresses. I lost his soon after, and 
as I have never heard from him, I do not know 
whether he is living or dead. If he is living, I can 
assure him he will find the latch-strinof of mv door 
on the outside at any time. 

My captors had not searched or made any 
effort to take anything from me; but I was not so 
fortunate with the new guards. I had a fine, new 
hat, w^hich a big, burly fellow took possession of 
before I was with them ten minutes. He was, 
however, generous enough to leave me his ; but 
as I was not in the soap-fat business, I did not 
care much about It. It had brim enough to cover 
a small bake-oven, and looked as if It had been 
soaked in grease for a year or two. I attempted 
to remonstrate with the villain, but found the least 
said, the better for me. I here met Col. Talley and 
about three hundred and sixty men, who were 
captured after I left there. 



2IO BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

" Misery," it is said, " loves company," but in 
this case, at least, it was not so. I was sorry to 
see our brave Colonel and so many men in the 
hands of the enemy. Early in the morning. May 
9th, we started for Beaver Dam station, where 
the rebels intended to put us on the cars and send 
us to Richmond. Our guards were again changed 
— a company of cavalry taking charge of us. 
This change was very agreeable, as the new 
guards, with few exceptions, were a great im- 
provement on the ones we had just left. The 
weather was very warm, and as we were tired out 
with marching, and received no food, we suffered 
very much during the day. Some of the men 
gave out entirely ; what became of them, I could 
never ascertain. As we marched along, we were 
quite an object of curiosity to the natives, who 
gathered along the road to see the " Yankees." 
Some of them must have formed strange ideas 
about our appearance and looks, as one good 
woman exclaimed, " Why, they look just like our 
men." If the woman had the man in her mind 
who stole my hat when she made the comparison, 
I do not think it was much of a compliment. 
I did not care much about the opinion of most 
of them, but I could not help wishing that the 
few really pretty girls we passed would not des- 
pise us. When within a few miles of Beaver 
Dam station we passsed the house of a fellow who 
was terribly indignant, and had a great deal to 



MARCHING TO RICHMOND. 211 

say about what should be done with us for com- 
ing ''down here and taking our niggers from us," 
as he expressed it to one of the boys, who gave 
him a dincher by telling him to do all of his 
"Secesh" talk now, as the Union troops would be 
along, and then he would be a good Union man. 
It was well-known to both armies that quite a 
number of citizens were rebels or Union men just 
as the occasion suited. The remark of the pris- 
oner was greeted with hearty laughter by the 
guards and prisoners, much to the disgust of Mr. 
Civilian, who, no doubt, came to the conclusion 
that soldiers were a queer set. We had marched 
thirty miles, and were within a short distance of 
the station, when a strange rumbling sound in 
our rear attracted our attention. The hope had 
impressed itself on every mind during the day 
that we might be recaptured ; and when I first 
heard the noise, I made the remark to one of my 
comrades, that I believed ou^ cavalry was coming. 
One of the guards, who was riding close to me, 
overheard the remark, when, turning his horse, 
he rode to the other side and commenced talking 
to one of his officers. The officer put spurs to 
his horse and rode rapidly back to the top of the 
hill we had just crossed. The noise could be 
heard coming nearer and nearer, and I suppose 
from the top of the hill the officer could see the 
approaching column. If he did, he did not stay 
long to view the sight, as he came back as fast 



212 BATTLE FIELD AND PRLSON PEN. 

as his horse could carry him, shouting, "The 
Yankees are comine — the Yankees are cominor I" 
We were now within a few hundred feet of the 
station, and the train that was to convey us to 
Richmond was standino- on the track with steam 
up and ready for starting. The rebel officer who 
had charge of our guards, ordered us to 
double quick for the station ; but instead of obey- 
ine, we came to a sudden halt. The rebels 
threatened, by saying, that if we did not move they 
would fire into us ; but we stubbornly refused to 
move a step. Finding they could not compel us 
to move, they turned their attention to the ap- 
proaching cavalry, and formed line of battle 
across the road, placing us in the rear. They 
had just about accomplished this, when the ad- 
vance of the cavalry column burst over the hill. 
Gen. Sheridan, with almost the entire cavalry 
corps, had flanked Lee's army in the morning 
with the instructions to destroy his line of com- 
munications, burn his supplies at Beaver Dam, 
tear up the railroad, and then move on to Rich- 
mond. He first deceived the rebels by marching 
his command in the direction of Fredericksburg, 
when, turning suddenly to the right, he struck out 
boldly for the rear of Lee's army. He succeeded 
in passing the right wing of the rebel army, and, 
after severing Lee's communications, advanced 
rapidly in the pirection of Beaver Dam station. 
On the way, some colored people gave him the in- 



RE-CAPTURED. 2 I 3 



formation that a rebel guard had passed alono- 
the road with a number of Union prisoners. He 
immediately ordered Gen. Custer with the Michi- 
gan Brigade to advance as fast as possible and 
endeavor to overtake us before the rebels could 
get us into cars. Some of his men, after the 
re-capture, informed us that Custer told them he 
would overtake us or kill every horse in his com- 
mand. The horses were certainly In a fearful 
condition when they reached us. It was the ad- 
vance of this column with the gallant Custer, the 
first man in front, that dashed down the hill to our 
rescue. As the road was narrow, with fence on 
one side and wood on the other, but a small por- 
tion of the advance could charge on our guards. 
This squad, as mentioned before, Custer led in 
person ; and as he, with sword in hand, dashed on 
the rebels, we heard him shout, " Clear the way, 
boys !" We knew this was Intended for us, who 
were directly In the rear of the rebels, and we did 
not stand long upon the order of our going, but 
went at once. Some of the prisoners fled Into 
the woods, others jumped over the fence, and a 
few of us got on it, where we could have a better 
view of the fight. Among the number on the 
fence was our good, gallant Col. Talley, who was 
almost wild with excitement. The fi^ht was soon 
over ; a few of our guards who had fleet horses 
succeeded In escaping, but the most of them 
were cut down or captured. A number of rebel 



214 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

infantry were at the station guarding the supplies ; 
they fled at the first alarm. The act was a cow- 
ardly one, and yet it was the part of wisdom, as 
Sheridan would have made short work with them 
after his arrival with the balance of his corps. 
The rebel guards who had charo^e of us were a 
brave set of fellows, and fought with a despera- 
tion worthy of a better cause. Among the num- 
ber killed was one who had been very kind to us 
on the march, and I could not help but pity the 
fate of him who had been so brave and generous ; 
several times during the day he dismounted and 
let some poor fellow who had given out ride his 
horse, he himself walking. 

Among the number captured, was a young fel- 
low of about sixteen or seventeen years of age, 
who took great delight in teasing us about our 
unfortunate condition. He had a peculiarly fine, 
squeaking voice, very much like an old woman's. 
Annoying as it \yas to us, it must, however, have 
been the sweetest music to himself, as he kept his 
tongue going all the time. One of his frequent 
expressions, and one that appeared to give him 
great delight, was " Well, boys, daddy Lee has got 
you !" and then he would laugh as if he consid- 
ered it an immense joke. Several of his com- 
rades during the day told him to shut up ; but he 
paid no attention to them, evidently thinking the 
fun too good. One of our boys jokingly, and 
without the least idea that anything of the kind 



REBEL STORES BURNED. 21 5 

might happen, reminded him that the cards mio-ht 
be turned before the day was over, as our cavalry 
was in pursuit of them. Little did he think that 
in a few hours his prediction would come true; 
After the fight was over, we found our tormentor 
in the hands of the cavalry, and he was the most 
frightened man I ever saw. Some of our boys 
could not help but tease him about the change of 
affairs ; one of them exclaimed, " Well, my lad, 
daddy Grant has got you ! " at the same time Imi- 
tating his voice and manner so perfectly as to 
raise a shout of laughter from the rest. The poor 
fellow begged piteously that his life might be 
spared. This was too much for the boys, who 
told him to rest easy, as he was entirely too inno- 
cent to be killed. 

Immediately after the fight. Gen. Custer took 
possession of the station, where we found an im- 
mense amount of rebel supplies, consisting of 
flour, pork, cornmeal, fish, sugar, rum, and other 
rations. Two large trains of cars, one loaded 
with flour, and the other which was to take us to 
Richmond, were captured and destroyed. Fire 
was Immediately applied to the station and build- 
ings around it, and in a short time the entire 
amount of supplies, estimated by Gen. Sheridan 
to be worth two million of dollars, was totally 
consumed. The men, in helping themselves 
around the station, had found several barrels of 
whisky, and were going to fill their canteens, when 



21 6 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Gen. Sheridan, who had come on the ground, 
ordered the heads of the barrels to be knocked 
in. It was amusing to see the thirsty fellows run 
after the dirty stuff, and dip it up as fast as it 
flowed alono^ the orround. Some of them sue- 
ceeded in getting too much of it. Gen. Sher- 
idan's arrival was greeted with three hearty 
cheers by the re-captured prisoners. He made us 
a short speech, in which he advised us to stick to 
his command, as we might be captured again by 
the rebels if we did not. He also told us to arm 
ourselves, but if we found the arms a burden, to 
throw them away, and by all means try to keep 
up with his command. He said, also, we should 
take any horse or mule we could find on the way. 
Some of the cavalry had lost their horses, and as 
they were on the hunt, we did not stand much of 
a chance of finding any. 

The rebels had quite a number of colored men 
employed at the station. They did not imitate 
the examples of the whites by fleeing, but hid 
themselves about the station until they felt sure 
their masters were out of sight ; which, by the 
way, did not take very long. Then they com- 
menced to pop their heads out of every con- 
ceivable hiding place in the vicinity. They ap- 
peared to understand perfectly well from the first, 
that we were friends, and they were very demon- 
strative in their welcome. One big fellow 
knocked in the top of a sugar barrel, and, taking 



CONTRABANDS. 21 7 

a tin-cup for a scoop, commenced to share out the 
sugar to all who would accept. He would fre- 
quently call out, "Fall in here, you Yanks, for 
your rations !" and his broad face would beam with 
pleasure, when some one would accept a dip. 
When we started for the James river, they all fol- 
lowed, and by the time we got there, hundreds of 
these poor, down-trodden people had joined us. 
I saw poor mothers, carrying their babes, and 
keeping up with the column all day. When 
asked where they intended going, they would 
reply, " I want to be free." After the destruction 
of everything at the station was fully assured, the 
line of march was resumed in the direction of 
Richmond. In the way of arms I succeeded in 
getting a fine carbine. I also loaded up as much 
provisions as I could well manage to carry, but 
had not gone very far on the march when I was 
compelled to throw the most of it away. I had 
delayed longer at the station than was prudent, 
for I had marched but a short distance, when the 
boom of cannon in the direction of the station an- 
nounced the fact that the rebels had overtaken 
our rear guard. The quick moving of the cav- 
alry indicated that it was not Sheridan's intention 
to stop and give them battle longer than he 
would be compelled to. He had succeeded in 
accomplishing all that he wanted at the station, 
and being in the rear of Lee's army, he of course 
would not stop longer than was absolutely neces- 



2l8 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

sary. The rebel Gen. Stuart, with the rebel cav- 
alry corps, was In pursuit, and several times dur- 
ing the day had attacked Sheridan's rear, but was 
every time defeated. When the head of the col- 
umn started we should have left with them, as it 
would have given us a much better chance of 
getting away ; but in place of doing so, some of 
us stayed at the station until most of the cavalry 
had left, and as the rear regiment marched away 
more rapidly than the ones in the van, we had 
some difficulty in keeping up. The food and 
short rest I had taken at the station had refreshed 
me a little ; but the strain on my system had been 
so severe for the last five days that it did not help 
me much. I had marched but a few miles after 
leaving the station, when I became very much 
exhausted, and found that I would have to unload. 
I threw away the most of my provisions, and gave 
my carbine to one of the cavalry, but it was no 
very great relief. We had proceeded but a short 
distance when my strength gave out entirely, and 
I sank down by the road almost unable to move. 
I wistfully watched the column as it passed along, 
hoping something would turn up to help me out 
of the miserable fix I was in. I had just made up 
my mind to crawl in the bushes and hide, so as to 
keep the pursuing rebels from finding me, when 
the van of the Eighth New York cavalry com- 
menced passing. One of the officers ordered me 
to get up and move along, as the rebels would 



BROTHERLY HELP. 2I9 

capture me. I told them that I was played out, 
and could go no farther. One of the men then 
left the ranks, and dismounting-, helped me to 
mount his horse, at the same time remarkino-, "It 
would be too bad to leave you in the hands of the 
rebels again." The kind-hearted fellow marched 
on foot until we stopped for the night, and almost 
all of the next day. The company I was fortu- 
nate enough to get into was one of the most intel- 
ligent and gentlemanly set of soldiers I had ever 
met with, and I enjoyed their society very much. 
About midnight we stopped for the remainder of 
the night, and had a good rest until seven o'clock 
in the morning, when we again started on our 
journey. We marched a distance of about 
twenty-five miles during the day, and went Into 
camp early in the evening. As we did not break 
camp again until about eight o'clock next morn- 
ing, I had a splendid rest, and felt so much re- 
freshed that I insisted on my friend taking his 
horse again. 

On the morning of May nth, Sheridan sent 
one brigade to Ashland Station to destroy the 
railroad and burn the depot. The brigade, after 
completely destroying the railroad station and 
bridges, returned to the main column, when the 
march was continued in the direction of Rich- 
mond. We marched until about three o'clock in 
the afternoon, and had reached the vicinity of 
Glenallen Station, when information was received 



2 20 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

that the rebels under Gen. Stuart were in force in 
our front, at a place called Yellow Tavern. The 
rebel cavalry, by hard marching, had succeeded in 
getting in position between us and Richmond, 
evidently for the purpose of cutting off Sheridan's 
advance on that city. As soon as the presence 
of the enemy became known, Sheridan made 
preparations to give them battle. Stuart, how- 
ever, brought on the engagement by a fierce 
attack on Sheridan's advance brigade, commanded 
by Gen. Devens, and was successful in forcing It 
back. It was re-inforced by several other bri- 
gades, and a hotly-contested battle took place. 
The rebels were completely defeated, being driven 
from the field, and leaving a battery of artillery 
and a number of prisoners in the hands of the 
gallant Union troops. I was at Sheridan's head- 
quarters during the battle, and had the pleasure 
of witnessing a most gallant cavalry charge,* made 
by Custer's Michigan brigade, on a rebel battery. 
When Devens' brigade was compelled to fall 
back, the rebels succeeded In getting a battery 
into position that was doing terrible work in his 
ranks. This battery, .Custer was ordered to 
charge. He rapidly formed his brigade, and or- 
dered his advance regiment to charge. The rebel 
battery had directed its fire on them, and was 
cutting a swath through their ranks at every dis- 
charge; but on they rushed, until their glittering 
blades fiashed over the heads of the rebel can- 



SHERIDAN S RAID. 2 2 I 

noneers. The men were cut down at their e^ins, 
which fell into the hands of the gallant troopers. 
It was in this battle that the rebels sustained a 
severe loss in the death of their greatest cavalry 
leader, Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, who was killed during 
the encraorement. At three o'clock in the morn- 
ing, Sheridan again resumed his march, and by 
daylight was within three miles of Richmond. 
He succeeded in getting possession of the outer 
line of intrenchments, and his intention was to 
attempt the capture of the city itself; but daylight 
revealed that the rebels had been re-inforced dur- 
ing the night so strongly as to make the capture 
of the city by cavalry and light artillery an impos- 
sibility. The forts and redoubts bristled with 
bayonets, and as we were in range of the heavy 
guns of some of the forts, Sheridan immediately 
commenced to withdraw his command, with the 
intention of crossing the Chickahominy river at 
Meadow Bridge. It soon became evident, how- 
ever, that the enemy did not intend letting him 
get away without making a most desperate at- 
tempt to destroy his command. The rebel cav- 
alry had succeeded In getting possession of and 
destroying part of the bridge on our line of re- 
treat, and had a strong force of cavalry and in- 
fantry in position on the other side to oppose 
our crossing. At the same time we could see 
heavy columns of troops marching from the for- 
tifications, for the purpose of attacking our 



22 2 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

rear. The situation now was a most critical 
one ; the enemy had completely cut off our 
retreat, and could bring a greatly superior force 
to advance on our rear. Fortunately for the 
Union cause, the Federal force was in command 
of an officer who was known to be very fertile in 
resources ; and, as the sequel showed, he was fully 
competent to extricate himself and command from 
the dangerous position they were placed in. He 
immediately formed the plan of repairing the 
bridge partly destroyed, at Meadow Bridge, over 
the Chickahominy, and escaping by the way of 
Mechanicsville. ' As mentioned before, the rebels 
had a strong force of men in position to oppose 
his crossino^, and had also the advantaofe from the 
fact that the ground on this side of the river is 
very swampy, and difficult to move on. The 
reconstruction of the bridge was also a difficult 
matter, as it would have to be done under a 
severe fire from the rebel batteries. I was at 
headquarters during this time, and was perfectly 
astonished at the unshrinking bravery and self- 
possession of Gen. Sheridan during the terrible 
fighting that followed. Several times, when some 
of his men gave way, he exposed himself with a 
bravery that was extremely reckless ; where the 
fighting was severest, and the danger the great- 
est, there was Sheridan, encouraging his men by 
talking in his social, familiar manner, that made 
him so famous afterwards in the Valley, where he 



SHERIDAN S GALLANTRY. 2 23 

turned a disastrous defeat Into a glorious victory. 
As soon as it was ascertained that the object of 
the rebels was to surround his command, Sheri- 
dan ordered one of his divisions to attack them 
at the bridge. After the most desperate fighting, 
the enemy was forced back, and, although ex- 
posed to the most severe firing, our forces recon- 
structed the bridge. To repel the rebel assaults 
from the direction of Richmond, Sheridan had 
formed a line of all his artillery, supported by 
a division of cavalry dismounted and fighting as 
infantry. The balance of his men, not engaged 
at the bridge, he held well in hand, to reinforce- 
any point where they would be the most needed. 
The rebels in strong column advanced to the as- 
sault, cheering loudly, and evidently expecting an 
easy victory. The Union troops reserved their 
fire until the enemy was within short range of 
their guns, when they received them with a terri- 
ble discharge of grape and canister, which tore 
horrible crashes through their ranks. The line 
reeled and commenced to give way ; but the 
rebel officers succeeded in getting their line re- 
formed and again advanced to the assault. Again 
and again the artillery poured volleys of double- 
shotted grape and canister into their ranks ; but 
they pressed forward until they came within range 
of the carbines in the hands of the cavalry, when 
they received a storm of bullets that shattered 
their ranks, and drove the entire line in the ut- 



224 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

most confusion back towards Richmond. In a 
short time, however, the rebels aQ^ain advanced 
with a cokimn stronger than the defeated one, to 
renew the conflict. Every discharge from the 
Union guns made terrible gaps through their 
lines, but on they pressed, determined to carry 
the Union position. This time, Gea, Sheridan 
met them with a fierce counter-charge, and a ter- 
rific conflict ensued, which resulted in the enemy 
being again compelled to retire from the field. I 
was watching the flight of the demoralized enemy 
in the direction of Richmond, when loud cheering 
in the direction of the bridge announced the fact 
that our men had succeeded in getting possession 
of it, and were forcing the enemy from their posi- 
tian on the opposite side. The enemy, however, 
fell back but a short distance, when they made 
the most determined resistance to the further ad- 
vance, or rather retreat, of our forces. The 
bridge had, however, been gained, and Sheridan 
made immediate preparations for crossing his 
train. His command was still, however, in a per- 
ilous situation. The rebels were re-formino- their 

o 

lines for another assault on his rear and flanks, 
and the position they still held near the bridge 
would enable them to concentrate a severe fire on 
the Union troops as they crossed it. The cross- 
ing of the ammunition train, in the face of the fire, 
was a dangerous undertaking, as the explosion 
of it would in all probability have insured the 



LEADING IN PERSON. 225 

destruction of Sheridan's entire command. After 
the train was ready to move, he placed himself at 
the head of one of his brigades, and led a charge 
against the enemy's lines in person. The men 
who were ^ghting under the eye of their great 
leader charged with an impetuosity that drove the 
enemy from the field, and the ammunition train 
crossed in safety. After the train was all over, 
the balance of the troops crossed rapidly, and the 
rebels pursued in the direction of Mechanicsville. 
Here they made a stand, but were soon put to 
flight. We then marched to the vicinity of Gaines 
Mill, where we camped for the night. Continuing 
our march, by evening of May 4th, we arrived 
on the banks of James river, where we camped 
for the night. Directly after, a Union gunboat, 
that mistook us for rebels, opened fire on us, 
and a shell exploded in rather close proximity 
to where I was sitting making supper. I had a 
large tin-cup on the fire full of boiling coffee, and 
not wishing to lose the best of my supper, I 
grasped it, and ran behind a tree for protection. 
I succeeded in saving the coffee, but burned my 
fingers severely in doing so. The unexpected 
fire from the vessel created considerable alarm ; 
but the mistake was soon discovered, and the fir- 
ing ceased. On the following morning we bade 
our cavalry friends farewell, they marching to re- 
join the Army of the Potomac, and we leaving on 
the steamship John Tucker for Fortress Monroe. 



226 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Here we changed vessels, and were put on the 
steamship Baltimore, bound for Alexandria, Vir- 
ginia, where we arrived at two o'clock p. m., May 
17th. We stopped at the Soldiers Rest over 
night, and in the morning marched to^Camp Dis- 
tribution, where we stayed until Friday, May 20th, 
when we were shipped to Belle Plains. At this 
place we were organized into a battalion. Col. 
Talley in command, and ordered to guard a 
waofon-train to the front. We marched to Fred- 
ericksburg, where we stayed all night. On the 
following day we continued our march, and by 
evening had reached Bowling Green, a distance 
of twenty-five miles, where we camped for the 
night. We again continued our march at day- 
light, and by evening. May 24th, we reached the 
army, then in line of battle on the North Anna 
river. We were informed that in the morning 
our battalion would be broken up, and we would 
be sent to our respective regiments. I was so 
anxious to get back to the boys, that I could not 
resist the temptation to slip out of camp as soon 
at it was dark, and make an effort to find them. 
After a good deal of hunting along the line, I 
succeded in finding the regiment. The boys had 
just finished their supper, and were lying on the 
ground taking a good rest. As it was quite dark, 
I walked in amone them without beingr noticed. 
My brother Frank, who was a member of the 
company, was sitting on the ground, and in ear- 



AMONG THE BOYS AGAIN. 22/ 

nest conversation with one of the men. I was 
trying to get quite close to him without being 
discovered, so as to give him a pleasant surprise, 
when, hearing my name mentioned by one of the 
boys, I stopped to listen, and heard the remark, 
" I guess Urban's gone up this time ;" before the 
other could reply, I remarked, *' I suppose not," 
and commenced to laugh. Brother Frank, who 
had recognized my voice, jumped up, and the re- 
membrance of the look of pleasure and surprise 
depicted on his countenance will ever be a green 
spot In my memory. I had the glad tidings to tell 
to the boys that our gallant Colonel and some of 
the men, who were supposed to be killed, were re- 
turnine to the regiment, and would be with them 
on the following day. 

It was like coming home, to get back to the old 
regiment again ; and I was as happy as man 
could be. Little did I think, however, that in a 
few days the fortunes of war would again find me 
in the hands of the enemy, and that for seven long 
months I would have to suffer all the pain and 
misery that could be inflicted on me, and the 
effects of which would leave my body a physical 
wreck, and all through life would cause a thrill of 
horror to pass through me at the recollections of 
prison life in the South. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Advance of Grant's Forces from the North Anna-^Battle of Bethesda 
Church — My Third Capture by the Enemy — Entrance into Libby 
Prison — Pemberton Prison — Departure from Richmond — Arrival at 
Andersonville. 

A FTER the great battle of Spottsylvania Court 
House, Gen. Lee withdrew his army to a 
strong position south of the North Anna river, 
and alone a stream known as Little river. His 
left extended for some distance along this stream, 
and his right to Sexton's Junction on the Fred- 
ericksburg railroad. Immediately after his retreat 
from the former place, Gen. Grant marched in 
pursuit, and after some slight fighting, succeeded 
in crossing the North Anna, and getting his army 
into position In front of the Rebel army. 

It does not appear reasonable to suppose that 
Grant could have crossed this stream without se- 
vere loss, had Lee wished to prevent it. His 
strongly intrenched position, but a short distance 
from that stream, made it desirable for him that 
the Union forces should cross It. The rebel po- 
sition, strong by nature, had been greatly strength- 
ened by long lines of intrenchements and other 
fortifications ; and should the Union forces attack 
this position and be defeated, the crossing of the 

(228) 



COLD HARBOR. 229 

Steam In their rear micrht have become a difficult 
matter. Lee's position would have given him al- 
most all the chances of success, and in case of 
defeat, his position would not have been as dan- 
gerous as Grant's under like circumstances, for 
the stream in his rear was a small, insignificant 
affair, and would, to no great extent, have embar- 
rassed his retreat. After crossing his army, 
Grant spent three days in reconnoitering the posi- 
tion of the enemy's lines, and evidently came to 
the conclusion that it was too strong to carry by 
direct assault, for he again resorted to his flank- 
ing tactics to compel Lee to withdraw from his 
chosen orround. 

The movement was entirely successful, and Lee 
was compelled to abandon his intrenchments, and 
march to intercept the Federal army before it 
reached the rebel capital.. Lee succeeded, how- 
ever, in getting his army into position at Cold 
Harbor, thus getting a position as strong as the 
one he had evacuated, and interposed his army 
between Grant's forces and Richmond. The 
Union army crossed the Pamunky river on the 
twenty-eighth of May, the Fifth and Ninth corps 
crossing at Hanover Ferry, and the other corps at 
a ford funher up the river. Communications 
were now opened with the White House Landing 
on the Pamunky river, and it again became the 
base of supplies for the Union army. Gen. Grant 
had now succeeded in getting on Gen. McClellan's 



230 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

old fighting-ground, and It would certainly be a 
stretch of the hyperbole to claim that any great 
advantage had been gained thus far. 

The loss of the Union army at this period of 
the campaign exceeded forty thousand men in 
killed, wounded, and missing ; and although Lee 
was compelled to evacuate his strong position at 
the Wilderness, Spottysylvania, and the North 
Anna river, he was not driven from any of them 
by direct assault, and the position he secured at 
Cold Harbor was fully as strong, and better 
adapted for the defence of the rebel capital than 
any of the positions he had abandoned. It Is 
true, Grant again flanked this position, and com- 
pelled Lee to march to the south of Richmond — 
but not until he had in vain assaulted it, and 
added ten thousand more to the Union loss, and 
inflicted a comparatively small loss on the enemy. 

The crossing of the James river by both armies 
was only a change of base that again gave the 
enemy all the advantages in regard to position. 
That the advantages gained so far by the Union 
forces compensated for the loss of more than 
fifty thousand men, is believing more than the facts 
in the case warrant. 

On Monday, May 13th, our corps crossed the 
Tolapotomy river, and our division moved for- 
ward on the Mechanlcsville road. We marched 
until two o'clock p. m., when we met a rebel skir- 
mish line, which fled at our approach. Our bri- 



WORKING AND FIGHTING. 231 

gade was ordered to move rapidly on Mechanlcs- 
ville, and hold the Mechanicsville road until the 
arrival of re-inforcements. Col. Harding, com- 
manding the brigade, moved us rapidly forward, 
and we soon encountered a strong line of rebel 
skirmishers, and drove them across a small stream 
of water and a swamp bordering on it. We 
crossed and advanced a short distance, when we 
found that the enemy was in strong force in our 
front. As we were some distance from our sup- 
ports, the brigade should have been withdrawn 
immediately across the swamp ; but instead of 
doing so, our officers ordered us to barricade by 
piling up rails and logs, and endeavor to hold our 
position. We were working away like beavers to 
get our position as strong as possible, when the 
enemy, which numbered a full division of Gen. 
Ewell's corps, made a desperate charge on us. 
We sprang to arms, and formed line of battle 
behind our half-finished breast-works, and when 
the enemy came within short range of our rifles, 
we gave them a deadly volley, which shattered 
their ranks, and compelled them to fall back in 
confusion. They, however, soon rallied, and again 
advanced to the assault. We poured volley after 
volley into them, and succeeded in holding them 
at bay in our front ; but their line being much 
longer than ours, they soon outflanked our posi- 
tion, and compelled us to fall back. 

Capt. Wasson, who did not hear or understand 



232 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

the command, and seeing the regiment giving 
way, called to his company to stick to the pit and 
hold their position, and the most of the company 
jumped back to the rifle pit. The Captain had, 
however, by this time noticed that the entire line 
was giving way, and that further resistance would 
be useless, so he told us to save ourselves as best 
we could. When we reached the swamp, the 
most available places for crossing were crowded 
and jammed with men. The rebels had advanced 
rapidly in pursuit, and were sending a shower of 
bullets into the struggling mass in the swamp. I 
stopped for a moment to survey the situation, and 
then ran to the right for a short distance, and 
made an attempt to cross. I jumped for what I 
believed to be a firm spot of ground, but it 
proved to be anything but solid, for I sank into 
the mire almost to my knees. Thinking I could 
not get across, I worked myself back, and ran 
still farther up to the right, looking for a better 
place to get over. I had lost considerable time 
in extricating myself from the mire ; and as the 
rebel line, which had extended a considerable dis- 
tance past our left, had advanced and taken pos- 
session of the ground on the other side, I found 
my retreat cut off, and was taken prisoner. 

After my capture, I made a narrow escape irom 
being killed by one of my captors. I had dropped 
my gun and was entirely disarmed, when the 
cowardly scoundrel thrust his bayonet almost into 



CAPTURED AGAIN. 233, 

my face, and swore that he would olow the 
Yankee head clean off me. Most of the men who 
had succeeded in getting over the swamp made 
their escape, and as they ran over the hill they 
turned and fired into the pursuing enemy. For- 
tunately, about the time the rebel was threatening 
to kill me, several balls came in pretty close 
proximity to where we were standing, and it 
probably reminded him that the fighting was not 
over, and that he would perhaps better let me go 
and pay more attention to the Yankees who were 
still armed. A few moments after my capture, 
the color-bearer of an Alabama regiment was 
killed close by me, by a shot from one of our 
men who had escaped over the hill. The rebel 
column formed on the other side of the swamp, 
but did not advance until after we were taken 
to the rear. As we w^ere gathered together for 
that purpose, I looked around among the captives 
to see what kind of company I was going to 
have The first person I recognized was Aaron 
Fralich, who was captured almost buried in the 
mud; then my old chum, John E. Gilbert, who 
had been captured with me on McClellan's penin- 
sula campaign, and then William Allison and 
Jack Wilhelm, all members of my company. 
Wilhelm had succeded in getting over the 
swamp, when he was struck by a rifle-ball on the 
head, which knocked him over. He was not 
injured very severely, the ball scarcely burying 



2 34 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

itself, but as he afterwards expressed it, "When I 
came to, the blasted ' rebs ' had me." 

The rebels had captured between three and 
four hundred prisoners, and as they marched us 
to the rear we were cursed and abused to such 
an extent, that some of the prisoners commenced 
to entertain the thouorht that we would all be 
murdered after they got us back into the wood. 
They certainly were the most enraged set of 
rebels I had ever met with, and I confess I was 
glad when we were placed under other guards. 
I suppose the fact that they had been compelled 
to fall back day after day had something to do 
with their ill nature. As bad as we felt at our 
own capture, we could not help feeling amused at 
Wilhelm's doleful appearance. Slowly drawing 
his hand over his head to wipe off the blood, he 
looked at us with an expression both comical and 
pitiful, at the same time cursing both his bad luck 
and the rebels, and caring very little if they heard 
him or not. 

After my release from rebel prisons — seven 
months afterward — I was pleased to learn that 
the rebels who had captured us received a terri- 
ble beating the following evening after our cap- 
ture. After the repulse at the swamp, the brigade 
fell back about one-half mile, when being re-in- 
forced by the remainder of the division, they 
re-formed line at the edge of the wood, and 
waited the attack of the enemy. The rebels for- 



VICTORY FOR THE RESERVES. 235 

tunately did not take advantage of their success 
by immediately pressing forward and pursuing 
our fleeing troops, but made the mistake of stop- 
ping long enough after crossing the swamp to en- 
able our troops to re-form their lines, and to make 
preparations to receive them. The nature of the 
ground was such that our line of battle, composed 
of our division, one brigade of Tyler's, and sev- 
eral batteries of artillery were almost entirely hid 
from the enemy, and from their sheltered position 
calmly awaited the rebel assault. They did not 
have to wait very long, however, as the rebels, 
after re-forming and strengthening their line, 
boldly advanced to storm their position. The 
Union troops reserved their fire until the rebels 
were within a hundred yards of their line, when 
the batteries and regiments poured into the ad- 
vancing line a terrific volley of grape, canister, 
and rifle balls, which completely broke the rebel 
column, and sent it flying to the rear. The enemy 
again, however, re-formed and advanced to the 
attack, but were received with a storm of bullets, 
grape, and canister, which swept their line like a 
storm of fire. The rebels gave way completely, 
and fled in the utmost disorder, leaving the 
ground covered with killed and wounded. The 
Reserves now advanced from their position, and, 
charging after the fleeing enemy, succeeded in 
capturing a large number of prisoners, and drove 
the entire rebel line in great confusion from the 



236 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

field. The term of service of this division expired 
on this day, and the boys evidently wanted to 
oflve the rebels a Qfood trlmmlno- before leavlno- 
the army. It Is a strange fact that the division 
fought Its last battle on about the same ground 
upon which most of It had fought Its first one. 
Parts of the division had been engaged In several 
actions before, but Mechanlcsvllle was the first 
battle that the entire division was engaged In. 
The day after the last battle, the division organ- 
ization was broken up. The men who had not re- 
enllsted were sent to their homes, and seventeen 
hundred and iifty-nlne, who had re-enllsted as 
veterans, were organized Into two regiments, 
known as the One Hundred and Ninetieth, and 
One Hundred and Ninety-First Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. These two regiments served with 
the army until the close of the war. 

Among the captured were a large number who 
had not re-enllsted, and would have left for home 
the following day. Some of them died In rebel 
prisons, and their fate was a peculiarly sad one. 
They had served their country faithfully and well, 
and had looked anxiously forward to the day 
when they would be permitted to return to their 
homes and loved ones ; but to be captured just 
as their hopes were to be realized, and compelled 
to suffer untold misery, and then death, was a sad 
fate Indeed. 

After being taken to the rear, we were marched 



A PLAN OF ESCAPE. 237 

Into a field close to the road, and given In charge 
of other guards, who were more friendly, and In 
every respect an Improvement on those who had 
captured us. During the night, a large train* of 
ambulances, loa-ded with wounded, passed us, go- 
ing In the direction of Richmond. They were 
wounded during the afternoon, and the large 
number convinced us that the rebel loss was very 
great. As the train conveying them passed, we 
could hear groans from the Inmates in almost 
every wagon. Among our guards was one who 
was very social and friendly with us from the first, 
and Gilbert became Impressed with the belief that 
he was a Union man, and could be persuaded. If 
an opportunity occurred, to let a few of us slip off. 
He succeeded In getting close to this guard, and 
had a long talk with him, and found that his first 
opinion was correct. He informed Gilbert that 
he was a Union man, but was compelled to enter 
the rebel service. Gilbert then told him that If he 
would let us slip off after dark, we would give him 
what money we had, and his (Gilbert's) watch. 
He also told him that if he ever came to his (Gil- 
bert's) home, he would reward him handsomely. 
The oruard told him that he was w^illine to let us 
off If he possibly could, but did not wish to be re- 
warded for it. He also Informed Gilbert which 
would be the best way to get to our lines. If we 
succeeded In escaping. We expected the guard 
to come again on post at about midnight, and 



238 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

we waited anxiously for the appearance of our 
friend, but did not get to see him again ; whether 
he regretted his promise or was suspected by his 
officers and kept away, we could not ascertain. 
The plan would not have been a success, anyhow, 
as the rebels, after dark, built large fires around 
us, which lit up the ground to such an extent, that 
getting away without being noticed by the other 
guards, would have been an impossibility. 

As soon as we discovered that all hope of 
escape during the night was cut off, Gilbert Fra- 
lich and myself lay down to sleep. It would have 
been pleasant indeed to lose ourselves In grateful 
unconsciousness of our unfortunate condition for 
a short time, but I found it impossible to do so. 
Although weary in body, my mind was in such 
a disturbed condition that I found it Impossible 
to fall asleep. But a few days before I was 
so happy in the thought that I was delivered 
from a terrible captivity, and I could hardly re- 
alize that I was again in the hands of the enemy. 
My thoughts continually went back to the com- 
pany, and wondering how many of our brave 
boys had fallen In the battle after I was captured. 
The last I had seen of my brother Frank was in 
line of battle, where he was fighting close by my 
side, and I felt very uneasy about him. After my 
release from my long captivity, I was rejoiced to 
hear that he ,was one of the fortunate ones who 
escaped. I was also happy to hear that comrade 



SHOT ON THE LAST DAY. ' 239 

Lindley McClune, whom I had seen fall shot 
through the neck, and supposed to be dead, had 
recovered and was doing well. I felt very sad, 
however, to hear that Jacob Crummel, a member 
of Company E, a neighbor at home, and an inti- 
mate friend in the army, was numbered with the 
slain. Poor Crummel, wounded nigh unto death 
in the Seven Days' fight before Richmond, and 
again wounded at Gettysburg, where I stood 
close to him on the skirmish line, he beine de- 
tailed from Company E, and I from Company D, 
to dislodge a number of rebel sharpshooters, and 
then to fall dead on the last day of his three 
years service ! A braver or truer soldier never 
wore the uniform of the Government. 

'* Far away in humble cottage 
Sits his mother sad and lone, 
And her eyes are red with weeping 
Thinking of her absent son J' 

In the morning we were taken to Richmond, 
and, as we marched through die principal part 
of the city on our way to Libby, we had a good 
opportunity of seeing the famous, or I might say 
infamous Capital of the Southern Confederacy. 
I could not help noticing the difference in regard 
to the feelings of the people and appearance of 
the city, compared to what it was two years be- 
fore, when I was marched throup^h its streets as a 
prisoner of war. Then the people were demon- 
strative and loud in their boasts of what they 



240 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

would do, and how soon the Northern Invaders 
would be driven from Southern soil — the city then 
had an animated and lively appearance ; but nov/ 
everything looked gloomy and despondent, and 
the boastful spirit of the people appeared to be 
broken. 

The papers still kept up the cry that Grant was 
accomplishing nothing and getting his men all 
butchered ; but the people evidently realized the 
fact that somehow or other the enemy was get- 
ting nearer and nearer to their Capital, and that 
the prospects of Southern independence were not 
very bright. While the papers kept up the cry 
of "Grant the butcher," they no doubt wished the 
butcher a sfreat deal farther off. 

In the afternoon we were lodged in the notori- 
ous Libby prison, and searched for our valuables. 
Two men acted as searchers, and we were taken 
two at a time, before them to be robbed. This 
gave the boys a chance to hide their valuables, 
and Yankee ingenuity prevented the rebels from 
getting a good part of them. One of the 
searchers was an old man, who, for low villany 
would easily have taken the premium at a world's 
fair. He took all he could find, even the pictures 
the soldiers had of loved ones at home. The 
other one was a young man, who was much more 
considerate, and I do not think took more than 
he was compelled to. I was fortunate enough to 
be searched by this one, and he told me he was 



SEARCHING PRISONERS. 24I 

ordered to search for side-arms and monry. I 
had a few dilngs which I prized very highly, not 
from any intrinsic value, but from associations 
connected with them ; these he made no effort to 
take. As he took a rather long look at a lot of 
photographs I had, I was beginning to feel a little 
uneasy, thinking that he might keep them, but 
after examining them closely, he handed them 
back with the remark that " we appeared to have 
pretty girls in the North, anyhow." All the 
money I had I succeeded in hiding by rolling it 
up and keeping it in my mouth until he was 
through with me. 

While I was being searched I had a good 
opportunity to see how the old gentleman who 
was searchinor near me was doine business. In 
searching a prisoner he found an ambrotype pic- 
ture, and was going to appropriate it to his own 
use when the prisoner commenced begging for it, 
telling the rebel that it was a picture of his wife. 
The rebel, with a malignity that would disgrace a 
South Sea heathen, dropped it on the floor and 
stamped it to pieces. The prisoner's face was 
livid with rage and indignation, but he was 
powerless to prevent it. He declared afterward 
that if he had had a knife in his possession, he 
would have stabbed the villain dead on the spot. 

Some of the boys had very clever plans to hide 
their money, but did not always succeed in keep- 
ing it from the old reprobate. I saw one of the 
16 



242 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

prisoners take a fifty-dollar note and put it in a 
large pipe, and then fill it with tobacco ; when 
his turn came to be examined, he lit it and com- 
menced to take a smoke. The old searcher 
however, suspected the pipe, and emptying it, 
found the money. Some of the prisoners de- 
stroyed their greenbacks, saying they would save 
the Government the expense of redeeming them 
before they would let the rebels have them. 

On the following day we received our first 
rations from the rebels. It consisted of a small 
piece of corn-bread, and quite a small piece of 
pork. The following day the weather was quite 
cool and pleasant, and I succeeded" in putting in 
almost the whole forenoon in sleep. 

About noon we again received our day's ration, 
which was so small that we consumed it all in 
one meal. Fralich and myself had our knapsacks 
taken from us when captured, and did not have 
overcoat or blanket. Gilbert succeeded in keep- 
ing his blanket, and also getting it into prison. 
He kindly offered to share it with us, and in the 
lono- imprisonment which followed we used it in 
common. 

On the following day, we were informed that 
we mio-ht write to our friends if we wished to, but 

o 

that our letters would be examined by the Con- 
federate authorities before they were sent North. 
We o-ladly availed ourselves of the privilege, and 
in a short time the most of us were busy penning 



LIBBY AND PEMBERTON. 243 

messages to our friends. We of course knew that 
it would not not do for us to write anything detri- 
mental to our enemies, so we merely wrote that 
we were captives, and doing well. I wrote one to 
my parents, and another to a dear friend ; but as 
one never reached its destination, and the other 
did not until after my release, I might as well have 
left them unwritten. 

The following day, June 5th, was the Sabbath. It 
was our first Sabbath in a rebel prison, and it was 
a most gloomy one, indeed, to all of us. We could 
not help contrasting our miserable condition with 
the one we enjoyed a few days before. Then we 
were free — now in a rebel dungeon, and the pros- 
pect of getting out, slim indeed. We commenced 
to suffer severely from hunger, and could hardly 
wait until two o'clock, when we received our mite 
again. When it did come, we had a little change ; 
a small amount of bean soup in addition to the 
corn bread and pork. But the entire amount was 
so small that we acrain consumed it at one meal, 
and felt hungry when we had it eaten. 

Wednesday, June 8th, we left Libby prison, and 
were put into Pemberton, a short distance from 
Libby. This place was even worse than Libby, 
being more filthy and gloomy. Our stay, how- 
ever, in this place was only a short one, as we left 
it in the morning ; and, altliough we knew that it 
was only for the purpose of being sent to some 
other prison, we were heartily glad to leave. We 



244 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

did not think it possible that our ^enemies could 
find a more terrible place than the one we were 
leaving ; but then we did not know anything of 
the horrors of Andersonville, and it was fortunate 
for us that we did not, and that the terrible future 
was hidden from us ; for, could we have foreseen 
the horror and misery of the prisons that were to 
receive us, we would have given up in utter 
despair. It was only the continuous hope of a 
speedy release that enabled us to live through it. 
After leaving the prison we crossed the James 
river to Manchester — a town directly opposite 
Richmond — where we were loaded on the cars as 
so much inanimate freight, and at eight o'clock 
A. M. we started on our long journey for Anderson- 
ville, Georgia. We did not know at the time 
where we were going to, but from what we 
learned from the guards, we supposed our next 
prison would be somewhere in the far South. 
The distance from Pemberton to the place where 
we entered the cars is hardly more than one and 
a half miles ; but so weak had I become in the 
few days that I was in prison, that I could hardly 
stand in line when we reached the train, and I 
was glad when we received the orders to get on 
board. We found the accommodations, however, 
were very wretched. The cars were common box 
freight cars, without seats, and the rebels crowded 
so many of us into them that we could not all sit 
down at the same time on the floor. Gilbert, 



EN ROUTE TO ANDERSONVILLE. 245 

Frallch, and myself, succeeded in getting together 
in a corner of the car, and in getting seats side by 
side on the floor ; but as " eternal vigilance is the 
price of liberty," so, in our position continual 
watching was necessary to hold the corner. The 
train moved along slowly all day and the follow- 
ing night, and by morning we had reached the 
city of Danville, about one hundred and forty 
miles from Richmond. At this place we changed 
cars, and also received one day's rations. At 
eight o'clock a. m. we again resumed our journey, 
and by one p. m. arrived at the beautiful little 
town of Greensborough, North Carolina, where 
we aorain chancred cars. 

We arrived at Charlottesville, North Carolina, 
early on Sunday morning, June 12th. Directly 
after, we were taken from the cars, and marched 
into a wood about one mile from town, where we 
were kept under a strong guard until the next 
morning. As the weather had been extremely 
warm since we left Richmond, and we were most 
of the time without water, we had suffered very 
much ; and the change from the filthy cars to the 
pleasant, cool wood, was a most agreeable one to 
us during the day, but in the evening it began to 
rain, and continued raining very fast all night; 
consequently we had a miserable night of it, and 
bad as the cars were, we wished ourselves back 
in them again. During the day a large number 
of men, women, and children gathered together 



246 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

to see the " Yankees." It being Sunday, had, no 
doubt, the effect of greatly increasing the number 
of our visitors, they using this day for visiting and 
recreation. We were evidently objects of great 
curiosity to them, as they stood around and 
watched us for hours. As the weather was quite 
pleasant during the day we enjoyed a splendid 
rest, and stretched out in the shade, watching our 
visitors was quite a pleasant pastime to us ; and 
as by far most of our visitors belonged to the 
feminine gender, and some of the children and 
young women were really good looking, that did 
not, of course, detract from our pleasure in watch- 
ing them. Some of the women were anything 
else but good-looking, hiDwever, being lean and 
lank, and as one of the boys expressed it, *' as ugly 
as a mud fence." But if the day was pleasant, 
the night was certainly not, as we were without 
shelter and exposed to the rain all night. About 
midnight I was taken quite sick and suffered ter- 
ribly until morning. 

At six o'clock in the morninof we were ordered 
to fall into line and march back to the town, 
where we were again put on the cars, and our 
journey was continued southward. While we 
were in the wood the day before, a few of the 
prisoners formed a plan to overpower the guards 
and make an attempt to escape. The attempt 
was not to be made until we were on the railroad, 
and at some lonely place. After discussing the 



PLANNING TO ESCAPE. 247 

matter among ourselves, we came to the conclu- 
sion that it would be folly to attempt anything of 
the kind. The guards might possibly have been 
overcome, but it is not likely that any of us 
would have succeeded in escaping to our lines, as 
we were right in the heart of the Confederacy, 
and notice of our escape would have been tele- 
graphed all over the South in a few hours, and at 
the first alarm, horsemen and bloodhounds would 
have been in pursuit. The chances of getting 
away would have been distressingly small, and I 
have no doubt that it was well for us that better 
judgment prevailed, and the plan of trying to 
escape in a body was abandoned. 

We left Charlotte at seven o'clock a. m., and 
arrived at Columbia, South Carolina, in the even- 
ing, where we stopped for the night. We re- 
mained on the cars all night, and suffered very 
much for the want of water. What excuse our 
enemies could make for not furnishing us with it, 
with plenty all around them, would be hard to 
conjecture, if it was not for the purpose of tortur- 
inor us. In the mornino- we airain chancfed cars 
and continued our journey, and arrived at Au- 
gusta, Georgia, late in the evening. We were 
furnished with two days' rations at this place, con- 
sisting of corn-bread almost as hard as a brick, 
and a piece of pork hardly fit to eat; but as we 
were almost starved w^e made short work of it, 
however, eating nearly all of it at one meal. We 



248 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Stayed all night, and were again kept in the cars 
but as the night was cooler and more pleasant 
than the previous one, we did not suffer so much. 
In the morning we again changed cars, and left 
for Andersonville, Georgia. 

We had by this time found out that Anderson- 
ville w^as to be our place of imprisonment, and 
various were the conjectures as to what kind of a 
place it was, and what kind of treatment we 
would receive from our new jailers. Surely in 
our case "ignorance was bliss." We were in- 
formed by some of the guards that it was a camp 
in the woods, and that alone made the impression 
that it would be a better place than prison-life in 
buildings like Libby. The descriptions we re- 
cQived of the place were not unfavorable, and the 
rebels assured us that the treatment we would 
receive would be much better than that which we 
experienced In Richmond. 

Whether they did this from Ignorance, or from 
a desire to keep the truth from us until they had 
us safely inclosed in the pen, or from a fiendish 
desire to increase our torture by disappointment, 
we could not find out ; but we did discover that 
they were either liars or ignorant of what they 
were talking about, and that all our former ex- 
periences and sufferings In rebel prisons were 
but an intimation of what was still In store for us. 

We arrived at Andersonville at two o'clock p. m., 
June 1 6th, and as the train stopped we looked 



ARRIVAL AT ANDERSONVILLE. 249 

around anxiously to see what kind of a place it 
was. We were somewhat surprised to find that 
it was only a small way station, with few houses 
in sight. Directly after our arrival we were 
ordered to eet out of the cars and form in line for 
the purpose of marching to the prison, which was 
about one mile from the station. It was raining 
very fast at the time, and, as we were in a coun- 
try almost entirely covered with timber, we ex- 
pected to find some kind of shelter in our new 
prison ; but as we marched from the station, and 
caught a sight of the prison, our hearts sank 
within us, for inside of the large inclosure we 
saw a living mass of prisoners, the most of them 
being wholly without shelter, standing around 
in the rain and mud, presenting an appearance 
no words can describe. It was so crowded that 
we could not at first believe it possible for them 
to put all of us into the inclosure. As we came 
near the orate we noticed that a reofiment of rebel 
soldiers were drawn up in line to the right of us, 
and were kept in that position until we were 
inside of the prison. 

We were afterward informed by the prisoners 
that this was done every time a large number 
of new prisoners arrived, and that they were 
kept there for the purpose of guarding against 
an outbreak when the gates were open, and per- 
haps thinking that when the new arrivals dis- 
covered the hell-hole that was open to receive 



250 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

them, they would, in their despair and madness, 
make an attempt to overcome their fiendish jailers 
and escape. As we entered the prison a mule- 
team that was coming from the gate got in posi- 
tion between us and the line of rebel troops. 
Capt. Wirz, who was riding to and fro, making as 
much fuss and putting on as much style as if he 
were in command of an army of fifty thousand 
men, discovered the team, and thinking his pre- 
cious mules in danger should his captives make 
an attempt to escape, yelled out, "Take them 
aisels away !" The Captain got his Dutch and 
English frightfully mixed when excited. 

This act proved at least that the Captain was 
not entirely without feelings — -that is, for his 
mules, anyhow. How much he had for the 
poor wretches who were placed in his charge 
to be starved and murdered, was a question 
easily answered. I do not suppose that Jeff. 
Davis and his advisers could have found a 
human being on the face of the earth who would 
have carried out their hellish plans better than 
this Dutchman, who was sent to Andersonville to 
reduce our armies. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ANDERSONVILLE. 

" But that I am forbid 
To tell the secrets of my prison-house, 
I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word 
Would harrow up thy soul ; freeze thy young blood ; 
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres ; 
Thy knotted and combined locks to part, 
And each particular hair to stand on end, 
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine." 

AN my way home, after beSng released from 
rebel prisons, I was in company with a ser- 
geant of a New Jersey regiment, who had also 
been a prisoner of war in Andersonville prison. 
We occupied a seat together, and the seat in 
front of us was occupied by two gentlemen, who, 
on finding that we had been prisoners of war in 
the South, became very sociable, and endeavored 
to enoraee us in conversation in reo^ard to the 
treatment we had received. My friend was an 
intelligent and fluent conversationalist, and for 
some time related to them incidents of prison-life 
that had came under his own observation. As I 
felt very weary and ill, I remained a quiet 
listener ; but I knew from my own experiences 
that all my friend was relating was true. After 
finishing their conversation, the sergeant left the 

(250 



252 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

car for a short time, going to the car In front, and 
I nestled down in the corner of the seat for the 
purpose of taking a nap. 

The two gentlemen, who had been the most 
respectful listeners, and were loud in their dem- 
onstrations of pity for the prisoners, and bitter In 
denouncing the course of treatment pursued by 
the rebel authorities toward us, evidently did not 
believe all the sergeant told them to be the truth. 
Thinking, I suppose, that I could not overhear 
them, the one remarked to the other, "What do 
you think of that?" The one addressed shook 
his head and replied, "Well, I have no doubt it was 
a terrible place; but I suppose he was stretching 
it a little." I could not help feeling indignant at 
them for doubting my friend's veracity; and as 
any other soldier would be under the same cir- 
cumstances, I was somewhat sensitive on that 
particular point ; so getting up, I remarked to the 
last speaker that I was sorry that he doubted my 
friend's word, and that I could assure them that 
all the sergeant told them was the truth. They 
did not like it very much that I had heard them, 
and the one I had spoken to, hastened to reply, 
and said, "O, I beg your pardon. I did not mean 
to hurt your feelings or your friend's ; but It really 
does appear somewhat hard to believe that so 
many died in that one prison in so short a time. 
Your friend may possibly have been mistaken as 
to the numbers." 



HARD TO BELIEVE. 253 

After the gentlemen left the car, and my friend 
returned to his seat, I said, " Sergeant, I think I 
shall be very careful in the future what I say 
about the treatment we received from the rebels 
when in Southern prisons." "Why?" he asked. 
''Well, the truth of the matter is," I answered, 
"we have witnessed and experienced a good 
many things that any one not acquainted with 
the facts could hardly believe. " After consider- 
ing a few moments, he replied, "Well, Urban, I 
think you are right; for had I not experienced it 
myself, it would be impossible for me to believe 
the half I know to be facts. " 

In writing the following description of Ander- 
sonville, I do not intend to describe the horrors 
of that place more than is absolutely necessary to 
set forth the scenes enacted: and in writing this 
entire volume, I do not expect to produce much 
of a literary work, but merely a simple, truthful 
story of life in Southern prisons. I claim but one 
merit for this narration — Truth — and I shall not 
relate anything but what I know to be the truth, 
and that I will be willing to answer for on the 
great day of final account. If things should appear 
that may seem incredible to you, kind reader, 
please remember that comparatively little is 
known of the sufferings of our soldiers in the 
South; if much has been said, much more has 
been left unsaid, and a great deal will remain 
"with the secrets of unwritten history." No 



2 54 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

tongue can express, no pen can describe, the ter- 
rible sufferings of the inmates of the prisons of 
the South; and it is only through the experience 
given to the public by the survivors, that this 
thrilling part of the history of the war can become 
known. 

Andersonville prison, where the climax of rebel 
atrocity was reached, is located in Sumter 
county, Georgia, about one mile from Anderson- 
ville, a small station on the Georofia Central 
Railroad, sixty-two miles southeast of Macon, 
Georgia, and about fifty or sixty miles from the 
Alabama state line. This station of itself Is a 
small. Insignificant, unimportant place; and were it 
not for the fact that the prison was In such close 
proximity to It, very few persons outside of its 
immediate locality would ever have heard of its 
existence. The land for a considerable distance 
around it was almost entirely covered with 
forests, which consisted principally of oak and 
pine. The surface of the land Is in some places 
low and swampy, and at others rolling, forming a 
scenery picturesque and pleasing to the eye. 
The general appearance of the place, however, is 
wild and desolate. It is very thinly settled, and 
was well calculated for the purpose it was intended 
for. Situated as it was, in a country where the 
timber was so valueless that large quantities of it 
were destroyed for the purpose of clearing the 
land, it can readily be understood by the reader 



THE PRISON PEN DESCRIBED. 255 

how easily the rebel authorities could have fur- 
nished shelter for the prisoners. The extent of 
ground inclosed by the stockade has been a sub- 
ject of considerable difference of opinion, as It 
was somewhat difficult to form an opinion, owlno- 
to the crowded state of the prison; but I suppose 
after the enlargement of the pen In July, it con- 
tained about twenty-five acres. Of this, four or 
five acres were swampy, and could not be occu- 
pied. A small stream of water, about five or six 
inches deep, and several feet wide, entered the 
east side of the prison, and ran through it. This 
stream had Its origin in a swamp a short distance 
from the stockade, and the water was warm and 
Impure. To add to Its natural filthlness, the 
rebels had built their cook-house directly across 
the stream on the side where It entered the 
prison, and the water was often covered with filth 
and grease. The rebels also washed their dirty, 
lousy clothes in the stream. On almost every 
clear day we could see dozens of them sitting 
along Its banks for that purpose; and thirsty as 
the poor prisoners were, they could hardly make 
use of the water. The entire prison was inclosed 
with a high stockade made of pine logs. These 
logs were about sixteen feet long, and were put 
Into the ground about four feet, thus making a 
fence twelve feet high. As some of the prisoners 
succeeded In tunneling out, the rebels built a 
second stockade a short distance from the first 



256 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

one, and the intervening space they kept lit up 
during the night with large fires, to prevent the 
prisoners who might succeed in getting out from 
escaping. Sentinel boxes were built on top of 
the stockade ; these were about fifty feet apart, 
and were reached by steps from the ground on 
the outside. On the inside, about thirty or thirty- 
five feet from the stockade, was a small railing, 
fastened on stakes about two feet high. This 
was called the " Dead Line," and woe to the poor 
prisoner, whether ignorant of its terrible meaning 
or not, who crossed, or even reached under it, for 
instant death was sure. 

The rebels, in building this terrible prison, cut 
down all the trees in the inside with the exception 
of two, which stood in the northeast corner of the 
prison, and in such a position that the shade fell 
on the outside of the inclosure. The earth, with 
the exception of the swamp, was of hard, red 
clay, with a slight covering of soil almost as light 
as sand. Lying and starving on this unmerciful, 
unyielding earth ; dying from exposure, hunger 
and thirst; the sun beating on them until in many 
cases the hands and neck were burned to blisters 
— what would not these suffering and dying men 
have given for the tempering shade of the trees, 
which the rebels so cruelly and ruthlessly cut 
away ? 

Since the close of the war, some of the rebels 
and apologists of the South have endeavored to 



TERRIBLE INHUMANITY. 257 

prove to the world that the course of treatment 
pursued by the Southern authorities was as 
humane as the circumstances connected with the 
case would allow. What plea of justification can 
they give for the fact that thousands of men died 
in this pen, with the hot, scorching sun beating on 
their faces with an intensity that alone was 
enough to kill them, and after the rebels had pur- 
posely cut down the shade-trees that would have 
been so grateful, and in some measure have eased 
their sufferings ? 

Inside of this inclosure, thirteen thousand two 
hundred and fifty-three Union soldiers perished, 
averaorinor more than one thousand deaths to 
every month that the prison existed. There is 
no spot on the face of the earth where " man's 
Inhumanity to man " was more fully demonstrated 
than in this terrible place, and the name of Ander- 
sonville will be a dark spot on American civiliza- 
tion for centuries to come. 

As mentioned at the close of the preceding 
chapter, we had now reached the gate of the 
prison which was to receive us, and which was to 
be a Confederate executioner to almost one-half 
of the entire number who entered its inclosure. 
As we marched through the gate I could hardly 
believe it to be possible that this horrible place 
was to contain us even for a few days, and my 
blood almost froze with horror as I looked 
around and saw men who but a short time before 

17 



258 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

enjoyed health and strength, worn down by suf- 
fering and disease, until they hardly looked like 
human beinofs. Some of them were almost 
naked, and were all covered with dirt and 
vermin, presenting an appearance that made our 
hearts sink'within us as we looked upon them ; 
and the terrible thought would continually force 
itself into my mind, How can I ever expect to live 
in this horrible place ? After the gates closed on 
us, we stood around for a short time, dumb- 
founded, and did not know what to do. Around 
us was a huge wall of pine logs, effectually shut- 
ting us from the outer world. On top of this 
wall was a line of guards, who, with rifle in hand, 
were only too willing to end our mortal career by 
sending a ball through us for the least violation 
of the rules imposed upon us. 

The rain was pouring down in torrents, and 
as it had been raining several days before our 
arrival, the mud was almost ankle deep, and we 
could not even see a place to sit down without 
getting right into it. Night was fast approaching, 
without a dry stitch of clothing on us, and we 
were getting chilly and cold. We anxiously 
inquired of the prisoners if no part of the prison 
contained sheds, tents, or shelter for us. ThQ 
reply was, "No, you will find none." One of my 
comrades, with a groan of despair, exclaimed 
''My God, can this be hell?" Gilbert finally 
suggested that we explore the prison and en- 



NO SHELTER. 259 

deavor to find a spot where at least the mud was 
not so deep, and where we could lie down. We 
tramped through the mud for a short time, trying 
to find a spot we could claim for that purpose, 
but in vain ; wherever we stopped, we found that 
some one else had already claimed the place. 
We were commencing to fear that we would not 
even have room enough to lie down on, when 
finally we came to where several prisoners, who 
belonged to a West Virginia regiment, had quar- 
tered. They were some of the first inmates of 
the prison, and had succeeded in getting a pretty 
good shelter. They also possessed a small log or 
piece of wood, which they kindly offered to us to 
sit on. Close to them was a small spot of ground 
not occupied, which we succeeded In getting pos- 
session of, and, moving the log on it, we at last 
succeeded in getting a good seat, and It kept us, 
at least for a short time, from the necessity of 
lying down in the mud. Valueless as this piece 
of wood would have been on the outside o( the 
prison, It was a great treasure to us. I should 
perhaps mention that at no period of the history 
of Andersonville was the prison quite so crowded 
as at the time of our arrival. 

The rebels shordy after built an addldon to the 
prison, and in regard to room It was somewhat 
more comfortable. In our wanderings around the 
prison I had made a narrow escape from being 
killed by a rebel guard. I had not as yet heard 



2 6o BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

about the terrible dead-line, and was in the act of 
crossing it, when a prisoner cautioned me not to 
do it. Had I done so, my life in Andersonville 
would have been of short duration. In the even- 
ing, our old friend, Amos M. Sourbeer, who had 
formerly belonged to our company, but was now 
a member of the One Hundred and Eighteenth 
regiment, found us. He had been here a few 
weeks before our arrival, and gave us a terrible 
account of his experiences. He also informed us 
that the prisoners were dying at the rate of sixty 
per day. After the shadows of night had gath- 
ered around us, Gilbert, Fralich and myself seated 
ourselves on our log, and, spreading Gilbert's 
blanket over our shoulders, endeavored to get 
some sleep. It was long in the night, however, 
before sweet, welcome slumber closed our senses 
in unconsciousness of our helpless condition and 
misery. We talked long about our unfortu- 
nate condition, and pledged ourselves anew to 
stick together, and, as best we could, help each 
other. We tried to console ourselves with the 
hope that our Government would find out the ter- 
rible condition of our prison, and some measures 
be taken to release us. 

It rained all night, and as It was quite cold, we 
suffered terribly, and were thankful when daylight 
appeared. In the morning it cleared off, and the 
sun shone brightly for several hours, when it 
again became cloudy, and rained almost all the 



MISERABLE RATIONS. 261 

time until Sunday morning — two days after. I 
spent most of the first day in moving around 
among the prisoners and examining the prison. I 
was surprised to find from information given me 
by some of the prisoners, that the prison was in- 
fested with a gang of lawless characters, who 
were adding to the horrors of the place by prac- 
ticing a system of robbery on the new arrivals to 
better their own condition. I could not at first 
but believe that the reports about them had been 
exaggerated ; but I was only a short time in prison 
when I was fully persuaded that the half had not 
been told. 

Tuesday we received our first day's rations in 
Andersonville, which consisted of one pint of corn- 
meal, a small piece of pork, and about a spoonful 
of cooked rice. After the close of the day we 
again took possession of our log, or " chicken 
roost," as Fralich called it, and had another most 
miserable night of it. Miserable, however, as our 
condition was, we had accustomed ourselves a 
little to our surroundings, and w^ere not quite as 
despondent as the day before. We even laughed 
when Fralich, who had been in vain trying to 
sleep, and becoming impressed with the similarity 
between our resting-place and a chicken-roost, 
commenced to imitate a rooster by crowing. 
Some of the prisoners who had no shelter, and not 
wishing to lie down in the mud, conceived the plan 
of making what they called a sleeping-post. A 



262 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

number of them got close together, and after 
forming a centre-post, would get around it one 
against the other, and try to sleep. Fralich, after 
watching the proceedings for a short time, informed 
us that he would try that plan, too. He had hardly 
got his position when the centre gave way, and 
the sleepy fellows fell, a confused mass, into the 
mud. Fralich came back thoroughly disgusted, 
and said he preferred a log to sleep on to that 
kind of a sleeping-post. On the following night 
we again resumed our position on the log, but did 
not occupy it long, when Gilbert suggested that 
we lie down in the mud, and endeavor to sleep in 
that way. Our position on the log had become 
very tiresome, and we longed to have a place to 
lie down and rest. So lying down side by side, 
we soon, in spite of our miserable condition, 
fell asleep, and slept until late in the morning. 
After getting up, the impressions of our bodies 
were stamped on the ground several inches deep. 
We felt stiff and sore for a short time after get- 
ting up, but on the whole felt much refreshed 
after our long sleep. It also stopped raining, 
and the sun coming out very warm, our clothing 
became dry, and we felt more comfortable than 
we had been for some time. In the afternoon 
we had, however, a very severe thunder-storm 
and heavy rain, and again received a complete 
drenching, which compelled us again to sleep in 
clothing as wet as it could be. On the following 



SOAKED WITH RAIN. 263 

day the weather was an exact repetition of that of 
the day previous, being clear and very hot until 
some time in the afternoon, when a severe rain 
and thunder storm passed over us, and left us in 
a condition to at least sleep cool during the night. 

I had now been six days In Andersonville, and 
as it had been raining almost all the time since 
my arrival, I commenced to wonder if there was 
any prospect of it letting up, or if it rained all the 
time In that country. In conversation with some 
of the prisoners who had been inmates of the 
prison for some time before our arrival, I learned 
that It had been raining almost every day for two 
weeks before we came in. Most of the old prison- 
ers preferred rain to sunshine, as it was so hot 
when It did not rain for a few days that the men 
who had no shelter almost perished of the heat. 

The next day, June 2 2d, the sun shone brightly, 
and It was the most terribly hot season I ever 
experienced In my life. It really appeared as If 
we would have to suffocate with heat. I actually 
found myself wishing It would commence to rain 
ao^ain. We succeeded in crettlnof a few short 
sticks, on which we put Gilbert's blanket, and In 
that way formed a screen to protect us a little. 
It did not, however, help much, as the sun was so 
terribly hot that It almost appeared as if it would 
burn the blanket. Directly after the middle of 
the day I became quite sick, but after sundown 
the weather became cooler, and I felt better again. 



264 BAITLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

The hot sun had at least brought us some com- 
fort, as it had dried up the mud, and we could, for 
the first time since our arrival in Andersonville, 
lie down to sleep without getting into it. The 
six following days the sun beat down on us with 
the same terrible intensity, and it really appeared 
sometimes as if it would sink us into the eround. 
The nights, however, were quite cool, and were a 
great relief to us, although the mosquitoes were a 
source of considerable annoyance, they being both 
numerous and laro-e. 

About this time a considerable number of new 
prisoners arrived, and we eagerly scanned every 
face and form as they entered, hoping and pray- 
ing that none of our friends might be among the 
number. Under any other circumstances, or at 
any other place, we would have been glad to see 
them, but we could not but tremble at the thought 
of any of them coming to our miserable abode. 
Two hundred and fifty prisoners arrived from 
the Army of the Potomac on Friday, June 23d, 
who reported General Grant and his army at 
Petersburg, Virginia, and that the capture of 
Richmond was sure to take place in a short time. 
On the following day a small number arrived 
from Sherman's army, and reported him within 
twenty miles of Atlanta. This was glorious news, 
and created a strong hope within us that the 
cruel war would soon be over, and we be released 
from our terrible sufferings. Rumors of a parole 



HOPES OF EXCHANGE. 265 

or exchange were also being spread among us, 
and were the subject of considerable controversy. 
Some believed them to be true, and others con- 
tended that they were only rebel lies got up to 
deceive us. 

These frequent reports about being exchanged, 
although, containing no truth, were, nevertheless, 
the means of doing some good, as it to some 
extent kept up the spirits of the men, and di- 
verted their minds from the terrible scenes daily 
enacted before them. I have already referred to 
the fact that our prison-pen was infested with a 
gang of lawless roughs, and on the 28th of May 
I met with an adventure with them in going 
through the prison, which was the means of rais- 
ing intense excitement among the prisoners ; and 
as it differs somewhat from the remainder of my 
prison-life, and has been a subject of considerable 
controversy, I will devote the following chapter 
entirely to a fair, impartial statement of the affair. 



CHAPTER X. 

HANGING OF THE THIEVES. 

pERHAPS one of the strangest chapters In the 
'■■ history of Andersonville is th^ one relating to 
the hanging of six of the inmates by their own 
comrades. It has been a subject of much com- 
ment, and persons who are not famiUar with all the 
facts connected with the case would naturally look 
at It as a cruel and barbarous act, with no justifi- 
cation whatever. It would naturally be supposed 
that these men, who were suffering for the same 
cause, would be bound together by the strongest 
ties of sympathy. Among the better class of 
prisoners it would undoubtedly have been so ; but 
we must not forget that, under all circumstances, 
where so many men are gathered together, we will 
find a great diversity of character, and of course 
Andersonville was no exception to the rule. 
There will be no doubt in any intelligent, un- 
biased mind, that by far the most of the men 
who served in the Union army were men who 
acted from purely patriotic motives ; and in the 
ranks could be found some of the best citizens in 
the country. But it Is also true, that quite a 
number went into the army more for the purpose 
of plunder than for any love they had for the 

(266) 



MOSBY's MARAUDERS. 26/ 

conntry. This class of men came as a general 
thing from the large cities, and inost of them 
were not native born. 

When this class of men became prisoners of 
war, and were compelled to suffer for want of 
the necessaries of life. It was but natural that 
they would try to secure their own comfort, al- 
though it should be at the expense of their more 
patriotic and honest companions. To what ex- 
tremes bad men will go to secure their own com- 
fort was fully Illustrated In the doings of a band 
of robbers in Andersonville, or "Mosby's Ma- 
rauders, " as the rest of the prisoners call them. 
The old adage, "birds of a feather will flock 
together," was fully verified In this case. To be 
more fully enabled to carry on their nefarious 
business, and protect themselves from punish- 
ment, the villains had congregated themselves, as 
much as they possibly could, together. Their 
rendezvous was near the southwest end of the 
prison. So bold and defiant did the gang be- 
come, that they soon got to be the terror of the 
entire prison, and actually at one time appeared 
to rule it. At least one poor fellow's death was 
traced to their hands ; others were terribly beaten 
because they would not submit to their demands. 
But little did they dream of the terrible retribu- 
tion they were bringing on their own heads — that 
the men who appeared to so tamely submit to 
their despotic sway would rise in their might and 



2 68 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

crush them. The prison was at this time In a 
horrible condition. It was before the grounds were 
enlarged, and we were literally crowded Into the 
Inclosure. The number of inmates was not less 
than fifteen thousand. Sickness was Increasing 
at a fearful rate, the number of deaths averaging 
sixty per day. The poor prisoners, who were 
starving and lying on the ground exposed to the 
weather, were suffering In a terrible manner, and 
were in no mood to endure tyranny from those 
who should have been their friends. The pris- 
oners organized a company of Regulato7^s to en- 
force law and order. The leader was a man by 
the name of Key, from the State of Illinois. 

He was a man of orlorantic stature and Immense 

o o 

strength, and was well fitted to command the de- 
termlned men who had organized for the purpose 
of protecting the respectable Inmates from the 
assaults of the low and vicious. 

For some time the robbers appeared to have 
things all their own way ; but a storm was brew- 
ing. Had they been wise they would have 
averted the consequences by stopping their mis- 
erable system of robbery and oppression. But 
very little, however, appeared to be accomplished 
towards suppressing the raiders, until at length 
an event occurred that in the end put a stop to 
their deviltry. 

Robert H. Kellogg, Sergeant-major of the Six- 
teenth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, who 



MR. KELLOGG's book. 269 

was in the prison at the time, and is the author of 
the interesting work called " Life and Death in 
Rebel Prisons," writes of that affair in the follow- 
ing^ words : 

" These new-comers afforded the raiders, or 
camp robbers, fresh opportunities to continue 
their work. They seized upon one of these, and 
it soon proved to be a robbery in earnest. After 
severely beating and cutting his head, they took 
his watch and $175 in money. He entered a 
complaint to Captain Wirz, and the whole camp 
being completely aroused, collected around with 
clubs, and beo^an to arrest the orane as fast as 
possible," etc. 

I was the soldier the Sero^eant refers to as 
being robbed and beaten by the raiders. Mr. 
Kellogg is correct in his statement, with the ex- 
ception of the taking of the money. I had none 
at the time of the assault, so could not have been 
robbed of any. In justice to the Sergeant, I will 
say that I have carefully read his book, and the 
work is a faithful, reliable account of the terrible 
sufferings of the prisoners ; and he deserves the 
thanks of every survivor of rebel prisons for the 
truthful manner in which he has shown their friends 
the terrible course of treatment the rebel authori- 
ties adopted, as they themselves acknowledged, 
for the purpose of reducing our armies. 

Gilbert was the owner of a small silver watch. 
When searched by the rebel authorities at Rich- 



270 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

mond, after his capture, he somehow succeeded in 
hidlnof it, and was successful in jrettinof it into 
Andersonville prison. As the pockets were torn 
out of his jacket, he requested me to carry it. It 
was a source of some comfort to us ; but it was 
not destined to stay with us very long. In the 
afternoon I went to the brook to q-qi a drink of 
water, when noticing that some rebel soldiers 
were drillinor on the crround outside of the stock- 
ade, I went to the south end of the prison, where 
I could oret a better view of them. Havinof been 
but a short time in the prison, I knew nothing 
about the locality where the raiders had their 
quarters, and so, unconsciously, got right In 
amonor them. I was looklnof at the rebel soldiers 
driliincr when I noticed a stranorer who had come 
close to my left side, and was apparently looking 
at the same object. Directly after a second came 
to my rear, and another to my right side. The 
three coming so close, aroused my suspicions, and 
I was thinking about moving away from the place, 
when I felt a hand lift the watch from my pocket. 
Turning suddenly, I grasped the thief by the 
throat ; I succeeded in getting a very good hold, 
and as he was quite a small man, I soon had the 
best of him. In the scuffle some one tripped me 
and I fell to the ground. I, however, kept my 
hold on his throat, and was giving him a severe 
choking when some one, to compel me to let go, 
commenced to <jlve me a terrible beatlncr, Belnof 



POCKET-PICKING. 27 1 

now thoroughly alarmed, I cried "Murder !" as loud 
as I could. Some one then, to stop my cries, 
commenced to choke me; and I have no doubt 
that they would soon have finished me, had my 
cries not been heard by the Regulators and my 
friends, who came to the rescue. The fellow 
whom I had taken by the throat was a New York 
ruffian by the name of Crowly. He was a small, 
villainous-looking, pock-marked fellow, and was 
no doubt one of the light-fingered gentry who 
are so numerous In that city. I had succeeded in 
giving him a severe punishment, the marks of my 
fingers being visible on his neck; and had the rest 
let me alone, I don't think he would have been in 
a very good condition to carry on his business for 
some time after. 

At the first alarm, the robbers crowded around 
us, and in that way tried to cover their tracks by 
keeping the Regulators and prisoners not be- 
longing to their gang back until it was over. 
Had they succeeded in knocking me insensible, 
they probably would have lied themselves out 
of the crime ; for had I recovered, I could not 
have Identified more than the one I had taken 
hold of, and he loudly proclaimed his Innocence. 
The disturbance was heard by the rebels, and a 
sergeant, with several guards, came in to see 
what was the matter. Crowly then made the 
most pitiful plea to the rebels, even shedding 
tears, and charging me with making an attempt 



272 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

to kill him. I then told the rebel sergeant that 
Crowly had taken my watch, and that I was the 
aggrieved party. The rebels, no doubt expecting 
to make a watch by the operation, took Crowly 
and me outside of the prison. On the way going 
out, the miscreant again, in the most earnest w^ay, 
protested his innocence, and loudly demanded to 
be searched. After we got outside the prison, 
the sergeant proceeded to search him, but no 
watch appeared. The sergeant, who was evi- 
dently disappointed in not finding one, then told 
me I should have been more careful before I 
made the assault, and that I must have been 
mistaken in my man. I told him I could not 
possibly be mistaken ; that the man I had seized 
by the throat was the owner of the hand that 
took the watch out of my pocket, and that I did 
not expect him to have the watch at this stage 
of the proceedings. We were then sent back to 
the prison. On the way coming in, Crowly com- 
menced to threaten me; but after we got in, he 
found he had trouble enouo^h on hand without 
disturbing me any further. The most intense 
excitement existed in the prison among the pris- 
oners. The Reenlators, who had had their sus- 
picions aroused for some time in regard to the 
character of the men who had gathered together 
on this spot, commenced a furious assault on 
them. Crowly and about fifty of his comrades 
were soon under arrest. Hid in the ground 



THE HANGING. 2/3 

where the villains stayed, were found watches, 
money and different kinds of weapons ; also the 
body of a man the miscreants had worked out of 
the way. The valuables were taken possession 
of by the rebels, who no doubt rejoiced at these 
proceedings, as it not only enriched themselves, 
but also weakened their enemies. During the 
next day, the hunt fpr the raiders was kept up. 
Quite a number were added to the arrested num- 
ber. As fast as captured, they were turned over 
to the rebels, who were to keep them until we 
were ready to try them. A jury of twelve was 
taken from the new arrivals to try them, and after 
a fair, impartial trial, six of the ringleaders were 
found guilty of murder and robbery, and were 
sentenced to death. A large number of the rest 
were compelled to run a gauntlet of enraged 
men, who had formed two lines outside of the 
prison, and were prepared to give them blows as 
they passed through ; most of them got off with 
a few blows, but several were terribly punished, 
and one was beaten to death. 

On the nth of July a gallows was built on the 
south side of the pen, and the six who had been 
sentenced to death were hung. As they were 
taken to the gallows, one of them broke loose 
from his guard, and made a vain attempt to get 
away ; he was soon re-captured, and with the rest 
put on the platform. Meal-bags were finally put 
over their heads at the last moment, and then the 
i8 



274 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

drop fell ; the rope around the neck of one of 
them broke, but he was again taken up, and in 
a few moments they were in the eternal world. 
The wretches at first seemed to be unable to 
understand that they would have to pay the 
penalty of death for their crimes, and I do not 
think that any of them believed that they would 
have to die until within a very short time before 
their execution. When, however, they found it 
was to be a terrible reality, their firmness com- 
menced to give way, and the look of helpless 
despair on their countenances, as they looked on 
the mass of men around them, was sad to see. 
When asked if they had anything to say before 
being put to death, one of them requested a 
comrade to go to his friends in New York, and 
tell them of his sad fate ; all of them requested 
thef!" comrades to take warning by their death. 
A Catholic priest, who very frequently paid us a 
visit, beofSfed hard that their lives mio^ht be 
Spared; but finding he could not change the pur- 
pose of the men who were determined to carry 
out the sentence, he endeavored to get the 
doomed men to realize the awful position they 
were in. Let us hope that the pra,yers of this 
good man prevailed on them to look to Him who 
will finally judge us all, and who never judges 
unrighteously. 

It was a sad sight to see six of our own men, 
who were fellow-prisoners, suffer death in such 



11 



SEVERITY DEMANDED. 275 

an Ignominious manner; but their crimes were 
great, and we felt that the punishment was just. 
Their crimes had been carried on with such total 
disregard of the rights of others, and so reckless 
of human life had they become, that there can be 
no doubt but that the sentence of death inflicted 
on them saved the lives of others, who were of 
more service to their country, and better members 
of society. The prisoners at Andersonville were of 
all classes of men ; you would find there the most 
earnest Christian, as well as the most depraved 
villain. New arrivals were comlnof In almost 
every day, and we were compelled to have some 
system of law that would protect the respectable 
class of prisoners from the low and vicious. Of 
course, this very bad element was comparatively 
small ; but a few determined bad characters can 
do a great deal of evil among a very large class 
of respectable people, and In this case we felt that 
severe measures alone would keep in subordina- 
tion the bad element among us. 

The same view was evidently taken by our 
captors, who sent an officer and a squad of sol- 
diers to maintain order at the execution, 



CHAPTER XI. 

ENLARGEMENT OF OUR PRISON. 

AN the first day of July the rebels completed the 
^ addition to our prison-pen, and a number of 
us were ordered to gather up our movables and 
go over into the new part of the inclosure. As the 
property of our trio did not consist of more than 
one blanket atid a few short sticks of wood, it did 
not take us very long to get ready. About ten 
feet of the stockade standing between the two sec- 
tions of the prison had been removed for the pur- 
pose of letting us through ; and as we all felt 
anxious to get on the ground first, so as to get 
the most desirable places to camp on, there was 
quite a stampede to the new portion. 

Captain Wirz, who, I suppose, wanted a little 
amusement, issued an order that all of the prison- 
ers who had been ordered to move, and who 
would not be through this small opening in two 
hours, should have their blankets, and whatever 
property they might possess, confiscated. In a 
short time the old part of the prison was thinned 
out, and made more comfortable in regard to 
room than it had been for some time. We suc- 
ceeded in getting possession of a good dry spot 
in the northeast corner of the prison, and mark- 

(276) 



A NEW PEN. 277 

ing four by six feet of ground, we squatted on It, 
and bravely held the fort until the rest of the 
prisoners had located their ground and settled 
down. 

Some of the soil close to us was composed of 
brick clay, and we found that by mixing it up 
with water, and letting it dry, it would get almost 
as hard as a stone. To make our title stronger, 
we gathered a lot of this clay, and built a wall 
about six inches high around our lot. After 
being in possession of our new quarters for a 
few days, we gathered more clay, and, at first 
only for amusement and pastime, commenced to 
build our wall higher and stronger. We then 
discovered that when exposed to the sun for sev- 
eral days it would become very hard, and we 
commenced to think that we might secure some 
kind of a shelter by raising the wall higher and 
arching It part way in. We built the two sides 
and one eable end of our house about three and 
one-half feet high, and taking Gilbert's blanket 
for a roof, we had a pretty good protection 
against the heavy dews so prevalent after night 
in that part of the country. 

We found before our removal from Anderson- 
vllle that even in the very warmest weather the 
nights were sometimes quite disagreeable, and 
the dew so heavy as to give us a thorough wet- 
tine. When it rained hard our roof did not 
amount to much ; nevertheless, we were in a 



278 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

more comfortable condition, and felt considerably 
richer than when In the old part of the prison. 
The reader may, perhaps, think that this was a 
small matter, but to us It was one of the greatest 
importance, and we prized our mud-house very 
highly ; more so, no doubt, than some men do 
their brown-stone fronts. It is said, "necessity is 
the mother of invention," and our prison life 
fully demonstrated that to be a fact. Some of 
the mud-houses and stoves were quite a novelty, 
and required considerable skill in constructing 
them. 

Among the inmates of the prison were quite a 
number of men who were members of churches 
at home. These men were desirous of forming 
some system of holding religious meetings, but 
the terribly crowded condition of the prison had 
prevented much action being taken In the matter. 
A few would sometimes get together and have a 
prayer-meeting, but it was only after the enlarge- 
ment of the stockade that much attention was 
paid to this Important movement. A prisoner by 
the name of Shepard, a native of Ohio, and a 
member of the Ninety-seventh regiment of the 
Ohio Volunteers, who had been a minister at 
home, and Boston Corbett, a native of New 
Jersey, and whose name become so famous after 
the close of the war on account of his shootinor 
John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of the lamented 
President Lincoln, were recognized as leaders in 



RELIGIOUS WORK. 2/9 

these religious movements. They preached to 
us frequently, and their preaching was no doubt 
the means of accomplishing much good. They 
were, indeed, nature's truest noblemen, perfect 
gentlemen, and earnest true Christians. They 
devoted almost all their time to giving spiritual 
consolation and advice to their fellows-prisoners. 
They appeared never to weary of doing good, 
and could frequently be found at the side of the 
dying, and entreating them to look to Him who 
would deliver them from all their misery and 
suffering, and receive them to a better and 
brighter world above. These poor, dying sol- 
diers, away from loved ones at home, separated 
from all their comforts, tormented with vermin, 
dying from exposure, hunger and thirst, these 
martyrs to "man's inhumanity," had nowhere to 
look for deliverance but to Him who had created 
them, and without whose notice no sparrow shall 
fall to the ground. How sweet and welcome the 
words of these holy men of God when they pro- 
claimed to them the words of our Saviour, "But 
even the very hairs of your head are numbered. 
Fear not, therefore. Ye are of more value than 
many sparrows." And again, "Be not afraid of 
them that kill the body, and after that have no 
more that they can do." Yes; the enemies of 
these poor dying men might torture them to 
death, but when the breath had left their poor 
emaciated bodies, they could do no more. 



28o BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

It is said that "man's extremity is God's oppor- 
tunity, " and it was surely so with these poor 
dying ones. Cut off from all earthly hope, they 
received the w^ord eagerly and gladly, and who 
can doubt that the Recording Ano^el carried the 
glad tidings " Saved'' from this terrible spot when 
the spirits of these poor soldiers passed away. 

The leaders of the " Praying Band^ " that being 
the name these men were known by in prison, 
succeeded In getting possession of a spot of 
ground in the new part of the prison for the 
purpose of holding religious meetings, and on 
this spot for some time every evening these men 
came together and worshiped God. The meet- 
ings were well attended, and accomplished much 
crood. What a contrast between these meetincrs 
.and the ones our friends enjoyed at home ! No 
rinofino- of bells announced to us the solemn hour 
that called the people of God together to raise 
their hearts and voices in praise and thanksgiving 
unto Him for His mercies. No happy family 
groups of fathers, mothers, and children, stepping 
alonor with li^ht hearts to larcre, commodious 
buildlnes dedicated to God's service, and where 
were comfortable seats and eloquent sermons, and 
where swelling anthems, lifting the soul upward 
from earth, came flowing through these sanctu- 
aries. None of these blessings were enjoyed by the 
men who gathered together in this terrible place 
to thank God for His past mercy, implore His 



PRAYER MEETINGS. 28 1 

protection In the future, and beg His forgiveness 
for past shortcomings. These men enjoyed these 
blessings in their happy homes before they en- 
tered the service of their country. But how 
changed their circumstances now ! When they 
gathered together to worship their Maker, they 
came covered with rags, mud, and vermin, and 
some of them had suffered from disease and 
starvation, until they presented an appearance so 
wretched that their best friends would not have 
recognized them. 

When they reached the spot of ground set 
apart for worship, instead of seating themselves 
in good comfortable pews, they sat close together 
on the ground, and quietly waited for the meet- 
ing to commence. After a sufficient number had 
gathered together, some one opened with prayer, 
and then one of the leaders preached a short 
sermon or exhortation, which was again followed 
by prayer and singing. An invitation was also 
given to those who desired to be prayed for to 
come forward into the circle and kneel in a row 
on the ground. Sometimes five or six penitents 
would be found at one time in that position. Im- 
ploring God's mercy. It was a strange, solemn 
sight to see these men kneel side by side on the 
ground enjoying this great privilege in so terrible 
a place ; but they felt the need of Divine assist- 
ance even more In their deplorable condition 
than they would have felt it if surrounded by the 



282 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

comforts of home, and God would hear their 
humble petitions here as well as anywhere else. 

One Sabbath evening, Elder Shepard preached 
a sermon from the sixth verse, fiftieth chapter of 
Isaiah : " I gave my back to the smiters, and my 
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid 
not my face from shame and spitting." The 
subject was handled In an able manner, disclosing 
the fact that our comrade was not only a good 
and pious man, but one who was fully competent 
to expound to us the teaching of the Holy Bible. 

On one occasion, when we had received no 
rations at all during the day, and It appeared as 
if we would all have to die of starvation, Elder 
Shepard prayed most earnestly In the evening 
that God would not forsake us altogether, and 
that we would aealn receive our humble rations 
in the morning. On the following day we again 
received our rations, and they were a trifle better 
than we had received for some time. Whether It 
was the result of the prayer of our comrade or 
not, I do not know ; but It was accepted as such 
by a considerable number of the prisoners, and 
as 

" More things are wrought by prayer 
Than this world dreams of," 

it may have had something to do with it. Some 
of the prisoners, who perhaps depended more on 
the efficiency of the prayers of their more pious 
comrades than on their own, said, rather irrever- 



THE REGULATORS. 283 

ently, that they thought Shepard might pray more 
earnestly that God would release us altogether 
from our dunofeon. 

I am sorry to be compelled to relate that 
amidst all the suffering, misery, and death sur- 
rounding us, there were a few among u«s who 
could so far for^ret the common demands of 
decency, as to annoy and disturb these religious 
meetings; but, as already mentioned in the pre- 
ceding chapter, our prison-pen contained the 
most vicious characters to be found anywhere, as 
well as some of the best. The reader will, no 
doubt, suppose that where disease and death held 
such high carnival, at least no attempt would be 
made to disturb those who were making an effort 
to prepare for the summons that will finally call 
us all to "that bourne from whence no traveler 
returns." But such was the case, and as I intend 
to give a description of our prison life as it really 
was, I am compelled to state this fact. It gives 
me pleasure, however, to be enabled to say that 
this very bad element was comparatively small, 
and these disturbances did not last long. 

McKey, the leader of the gang of Regulators, 
hearing of this state of affairs, issued an order 
that any one found disturbing a religious meeting 
would be punished by a number of lashes on the 
bare back, which effectually put an end to that 
kind of business for the future. Whipping on 
the bare back was the mode of punishment gen- 



284 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

erally inflicted by the Regulators. It was about 
this time that I saw my old enemy, Crowley, 
taken to the place of punishment and receive 
ten strokes well laid on for stealing a fellow- 
prisoner's tin-cup. I always did think he got off 
too easy when he stole our watch, and I am afraid 
I was uncharitable enough to wish the number 
of lashes twenty instead of only ten. 

It was a strange fact that, situated as our 
prison was, in a State where several prominent 
Protestant churches were very strong, no minister 
(with the exception of one, who was a chaplain in 
the rebel army) ever entered the prison to 
administer spiritual consolation to the many who 
belonged to their own churches. The rebel 
chaplain referred to came in on one occasion, and 
read an extract from some Northern paper in 
regard to an exchange of prisoners, and then 
held a short religious service. This was the only 
time during my stay in Andersonville that a 
Protestant minister from the outside came into 
the prison. A priest belonging to the Catholic 
church was almost daily among us, and worked 
faithfully among the sick and dying members of 
his own church. He had also always a kind 
word for all of us. We sometimes tried to find 
out through him what the prospects of being 
exchanged were, but he told us that he was on 
his word and honor not to disclose anything to us 
that was going on outside of our prison 



RATIONS SERVED. 285 

Capt. Wirz, commanding the prison, was a 
member of the CathoHc church, and it was said 
that he would allow none but Catholic priests to 
enter the prison for the purpose of administering 
spiritual consolation to the dying. I do not know 
if this was the case or not ; but, if true, it was 
only in accord with his general principles. lie 
really appeared to delight in inflicting pain and 
disappointment on us, and it seems hard to be- 
lieve that any one could have so fiendish a hate 
toward human beings as he had toward the help- 
less captives who were in his power. 

The night after entering the new part of the 
prison, some of the prisoners carried away part 
of the old stockade left standlnof between the old 
and new ground, for fuel. Wirz immediately 
issued an order that if the timber was not re- 
turned, he would punish the whole of us by stop- 
ping our rations altogether. We received most 
of our food at this time in a raw condition, and, 
although wood was so plenty on the outside as to 
be almost valueless, we could hardly get enough 
of it to cook our scanty food. Our rations con- 
sisted at this time principally of corn meal, of 
which we got a cup — holding a little more than a 
pint — full per day, and a small piece of beef or 
pork, often covered with vermin. Sometimes we 
received rice instead of cornmeal, and for quite 
a time, beans were the principal diet. These we 
generally got in a cooked, or at least half-cooked, 



286 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

condition and filthy beyond description. This 
bean, or pea, as it was called by the rebels, is 
grown in the South for cattle ; and I suppose, 
when purchased by the rebel government for the 
purpose of feeding their captives, was stored up 
in old barns and sheds, and left to become so 
unclean and filthy that it was not fit for human 
beings to use ; but I suppose they thought it 

good enough fof the "d d Yankees," as they 

called us. Some of the men found the excre- 
ment of fowls in their soup ; and as that was a 
little more than even starvino- men would want to 
eat, careful investigation of that kind of food be- 
came the order of the day. Under any other 
circumstances it micrht have been amusinof to see 
the boys carefully, with stick in hand, examining 
the soup to find things indigestible ; but when the 
finding involved the loss of the most of that day's 
rations, it was no laughing matter, at least not to 
the unhappy finder. The finding of sand, feath- 
ers, pods, and even small things which looked 
suspiciously like as if rats and mice had gamboled 
over these beans for a month or two, was not 
uncommon. This was too insignificant to compel 
the most fastidious of us to do without our daily 
food; but the finding of the first-named article 
was too much even for men in our hungry con- 
dition. Salt must have been a very scarce article 
in the South, or they did not care about giving us 
any of it, as sometimes we received none with 



MOLASSES INSTEAD OF MEAT. 287 

our food for several days. Sorghum molasses 
was given in place of meat for a considerable 
time. This stuff was of the very poorest quality* 
and almost always sour or in a damaged con- 
dition. What article of food the rebels could have 
selected that would have been a poorer substitute 
for meat, would be hard to find out. As an 
article of food to men in our condition it was 
almost entirely worthless, and in fact it was to the 
men who were sick with the various bowel com- 
laints, a positive injury. 

We came to the conclusion that a little "lasses" 
might be good^ but when it was substituted for 
substantial. It became a positive nuisance. Some 
of the prisoners declared the rebels had given It 
for the purpose of killing us, and It was the only 
article of diet of which they ever complained of 
receiving too much. 

On Monday was the glorious 4th of July, but 
we had a poor opportunity to celebrate our coun- 
try's natal day. About noon we had a severe 
thunder-storm and rain, which continued until 
evening. To add to our misery, we did not re- 
ceive any rations that day, Wirz evidently being 
determined to make us as miserable and unhappy 
as he possibly could on this particular occasion. 

We could not help wondering why It was that 
we appeared to be so forgotten by the Govern- 
ment we had enlisted to save, and that it could 
be so Indifferent to our fate. We tried, however, 



288 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN 

to comfort ourselves with the hope that perhaps 
very little of the true state of affairs was known 
in the North, and consequently it was not be- 
cause of neglect on the part of the Government 
that we had to suffer so long. The rebels en- 
deavored to make us believe that this was 
so, but we did not pay much attention to what 
they said. Hungry, wet, and miserable as we 
were, yet we had not lost all feelings of patriot- 
ism ; and when in the morning we heard the 
rumor that Richmond had fallen and Sherman's 
army was whipping the rebels at Atlanta, we 
rejoiced heartily. In regard to the capture of 
Richmond, we soon found that it was not true, as 
a large number of prisoners arriving a few days 
later from the Army of the Potomac, informed 
us that Grant was not in possession of the 
rebel capital, but that he had gained some de- 
cided advantages over Lee, and that the capture 
of the city was only a matter of time. Some 
prisoners also arrived from Sherman's army, who 
reported him within three miles of the city and 
severe fighting going on ; so with all our suffering 
we were still enabled to rejoice at the continued 
success of our armies, and entertain the hope 
that the Rebellion would soon be crushed out. 

About this time we could also see that some- 
thing of great importance was going on on the 
outside of our prison. We observed a great 
commotion among our enemies, and we were 



COMMOTION AMONG THE REBS. 289 

somewhat excited with the hope that perhaps 
our men were advancing on our prison, and 
our day of deHverance was not far off. A large 
number of men were busily employed in throw- 
ing up intrenchments and building forts, not even 
stopping their work on Sunday. A number more 
were employed in cutting down trees, no doubt 
for the purpose of sweeping the country with 
the fire from the artillery on the forts. Every- 
thing indicated that the rebels were in a great 
state of alarm, and that they apprehended an 
attack on them for the purpose of releasing us. 
We felt sure they could not be making all this 
preparation merely for the purpose of guarding 
against an attempt to break out by their captives. 
The manner in which the intrenchments were 
built indicated that they were intended to resist 
foes from the outside, and the cutting away of 
the trees in the direction of the station, that they 
expected to turn their cannon on armed enemies 
instead of helpless prisoners. Several rebels 
came, into the prison to try to induce us to go 
out and work on the fortifications. They prom- 
ised us good shelter and plenty of food if we 
would do so • but almost all of the prisoners 
indignantly rejected all their offers to tempt them 
to betray the country they had sworn to defend. 
This act of the rebels was, however, the means 
of creating a great deal of controversy among 
us; some contending that it would not be wrong 
19 



290 BArrLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

to go and work for them, but the most of us 
stoutly maintained that no true Union soldier 
could think of doing anything of the kind, and 
that he could not do so without committing 
perjury and being guilty of treason. 

Perhaps no one among the prisoners opposed 
this movement more earnestly, or exerted a 
greater influence for good in persuading men 
not to forget themselves so far as to assist our 
enemies, than comrade John E. Gilbert. He ar- 
gued, begged, and, if necessary, fought with those 
who were in favor of going out to work. 
"What!" he would say, "go out and help to 
build forts to enable the rebels to kill the men 
who may be sent here to release us! Before I 
would throw one shovelful of dirt for a purpose 
so low and mean, I would die a dozen times." 
Those of his comrades who know " Shorty," as 
we called him in the army, will have no trouble 
in believing him perfectly sincere in what he then 
so stoutly maintained. 

As already stated, the rebels tried hard to 
create the impression on our minds that our 
Government did not care for us; but we soon 
came to the conclusion that they did this not 
from any sympathy they had for us, but from 
hatred to the Government we loved, and for the 
purpose of getting us to assist them. A few, 
however, whose love for the Union was but 
slight, and some perhaps who had better never 



MEAN WORKMEN. 29 1 

entered the army, accepted the rebel offer, and 
were taken out and put to work on the intrench- 
ments and forts from which the rebels expected 
to slay our soldiers, should an attempt be made 
to recapture us. Some of the new prisoners 
coming in informed us that a cavalry expedition 
had really been fitted out, and was then on its 
way to attempt our recapture. The news 
created a great deal of joy throughout the prison, 
but we felt highly indignant at the base conduct 
of the few of our comrades who were working 
on the forts, and we could not help wonder how 
they would feel if our men were to come and 
find them engaged in such work. 

About this time the number of prisoners arriv- 
ing was very great, some coming in almost every 
day. On the 9th and loth about three hundred 
arrived from the Army of the Potomac ; and al- 
though the number of deaths was fearful, the 
influx was so great that the prospect was that the 
prison would soon be as crowded as it was before 
the enlargement of the stockade. The arrival of 
so many prisoners, and the necessity of having 
the gates open so often, convinced the brave cap- 
tain that it would be necessary to intimidate us a 
little by making a great military display of his 
forces, and showing how soon he could annihilate 
us, should we attempt to escape. We were sud- 
denly startled, and somewhat alarmed, by seeing 
several of the guns from the forts which pointed 



292 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

on our prison flash fire, and apparently pour their 
contents into our prison. Our first impression 
was that the rebels had opened fire on us, and we 
looked anxiously around to see the effects of it ; 
but we soon discovered that the guns were 
loaded with blank cartridges, and no harm was 
done beyond giving us a good scare. Imme- 
diately after the discharge of the cannon, a great 
commotion was visible in the rebel camp. The 
infantry fell into line in double-quick, and all the 
artillery was manned, with its frowning guns 
trained on the inmates of the prison. It ap- 
peared as if certain death was to be the fate of us 
all ; but after they had succeeded in giving us 
what I suppose they considered a great fright, 
they marched back to their quarters, no doubt 
fully satisfied in their minds that we would not 
again, after witnessing so terrible a demonstra- 
tion, think of escape. 

In the early history of the prison, the rnen, 
finding that the water of the small stream which 
flowed through the prison was very warm, and 
made very impure by the rebels building their 
cook-house over it, commenced to dig for water 
close to the stream. Much better water could be 
obtained in this way, by digging a few feet in the 
ground ; but the unfortunate situation of these 
springs or wells was such that they soon became 
in a terrible condition. The prisoners, in obeying 
the calls of nature, were compelled to go to the 



WRETCHED WATER. 293 

swamp bordering on the stream, and the frequent 
rains washed much of the filth from the sides of 
the prison on the swamp, where it lodged. This 
part of the prison became so terribly filthy that it 
is impossible to give a perfect description of it. 
The rains, carrying down the sewage of the 
prison-pen on the filth-covered swamp, made it a 
mass of putrefaction where the hot sun, beating 
upon it, soon bred into life millions of loathsome 
maggots, which spread themselves all over this 
part of the prison. These tumbled in countless 
numbers into the new-made springs, making it, 
with the filth that washed into them, as impure as 
the horrid stream itself. The lower part of the 
stream especially received almost all the time a 
drainage of this hideous spume from the swamp. 
The prisoners, who were seeking for water to 
quench their thirst, would crowd to the upper 
side of the prison, and as close to the dead-line 
as possible, so as to get the water a little more 
palatable. On one occasion I went to this place 
for water, when, finding a crowd at the upper end 
of the stream, which had gathered for the same 
purpose, I kept back for a few moments to let it 
thin out, when my attention was drawn to the 
nearest guard, who, with rifle in hand, was watch- 
ing the men getting water. His countenance 
displayed about as much eagerness and expecta- 
tion as that of the hunter when he discovers his 
game, and expects to have a good shot. I was 



294 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

watching the demon, and wondering whether it 
was really possible that he contemplated firing at 
the men who had gathered there for no other 
purpose than to get water, when I was horrified 
to see him deliberately raise his gun and fire into 
the crowd. I turned in the direction of the 
crowd, and screamed, "Look out!" but too late, 
as the ball had sped on its deadly mission, and 
the soul of one more poor unfortunate had left 
its earthly abode, and one more murder was 
added to the already long list in Andersonville. 

One of the prisoners, in his eagerness to get 
clean water, had dipped through under the dead 
line, when the guard, who had been watching and 
waiting for just such a chance to give him some 
kind of an excuse for his inhumanity, and an 
opportunity to display his bravery and chivalry, 
fired at him. The ball missed the mark it was 
intended for, but unfortunately hit one of the 
others who was in the act of stooping for water 
in the rear of the one shot at. The ball passed 
through his head, and the poor unfortunate sol- 
dier fell dead alongside of the stream. After the 
cruel shot was fired, the comrades of the dead 
prisoner fled, leaving his dead body lying where 
he fell. Almost riveted to the spot with horror 
and indignation, I could not run, but, turning 
around, I took a long look at the monster who 
could murder a fellow-being for so slight an of- 
fense, if an offense it could be called at all. He 



INDIGNANT AT BARBARITIES. 295 

coolly proceeded to load his gun, turning him- 
self, however, so that he could not see the dead 
body of his victim. A few prisoners gathered 
around me, and we commenced to express indig- 
nation at the cowardly act. One prisoner ex- 
claimed, " I want just one good look at him, and 
then one chance to meet him in this world, and I 
think I will know him if ever I do meet him." 

After the guard had finished loading his gun, 
he noticed that we were watching him and ex- 
pressing indignation; he raised his gun to his 
shoulder, and yelled out, " Scatter thar, or I will 
blow some more of you over." I do not think I 
ever in all my life felt quite as I did when I 
walked from that spot. I felt as if I would have 
to cry out, "My God, how long must we endure 
this ?" I really believe that I would have been 
willing to give my life for one chance at him. 

A few of the friends of the dead soldier had 
gathered around his body, and I went up to see 
if he was really dead. Some of them were shed- 
ding tears, and all expressing the deepest horror 
at his sad taking off. His blood had formed a 
small rivulet that flowed into the foul stream, 
which of itself had been a terrible rebel exe- 
cutioner to a large number of our brave soldiers. 
We had become accustomed to seeing the sight 
of death in all of its horrible aspects ; we saw 
men dying almost every hour: but this terrible 
death moved me more than anything I had yet 



296 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

witnessed. It appeared to me so sad that he had 
to suffer death for trying to get a drink of water. 
"Vengeance is mine; I will repay/ saith the 
Lord." And who can doubt that the blood of the 
thousands of slain soldiers who were murdered in 
Southern prisons, has cried aloud to high Heaven 
— not unheard, but God has or will yet inflict 
punishment on these murderous oppressors. 

It was said, and never denied by the rebels, 
that a guard on post who shot a prisoner when 
trying to escape, or in the act of crossing the 
dead-line, got a thirty-day furlough as his reward. 
As the miscreant did not again appear on post, I 
suppose he was thus rewarded for his courageous 
act. It was a rule of the prison that no prisoners 
were allowed to cross the dead-line ; but in the 
case of this poor soldier it could not have been 
taken for any violation of this order, as the pris- 
oner had made no attempt to escape or cross it. ' 

It is but fair to state that not all of our guards 
were that kind of characters. Almost all of them 
were either boys or old men, who were unfit to 
be sent to the front. In justice to the old men, I 
will say that all the shooting was done by the 
boys, and at least a few of those old men de- 
nounced the shooting as an outrage. I remem- 
ber hearing one who was on guard, and was 
speaking to some prisoners on the inside, say that 
"God would not prosper a nation or people who 
used human beings as we were being treated." 



DIGGING FOR WATER. 297 

After the water became so impure in the 
streams and springs along the swamp that we 
could not use it, or only when positively com- 
pelled to, some of the prisoners commenced to 
dig wells on the high ground farther from the 
stream. Some of these wells were dug quite 
deep, and when completed contained good water. 
The nature of the ground was of such a descrip- 
tion, however, that they sometimes caved in 
almost as soon as finished ; and even when they 
did not, the getting up of the water was a very 
difficult matter. 

Directly after moving into the new part of the 
prison, a few of us concluded to dig one in our 
part, but the difficulty in getting tools prevented 
us for some time from commencing it. We at 
last succeeded in getting a spade, an old rope, 
and a common wooden water-pail, and with these 
implements commenced operations. The ground, 
with the exception of a few feet of soft soap- 
stone, was of a soft, loose, sandy nature, and we 
made considerable progress in sinking it. As 
the rope was old and unsafe, only small men 
could be let down to dig. We had succeeded in 
digging about forty feet when we came to water, 
but of so small a quantity that it did not amount 
to much ; so we dug down about six feet more, 
when we struck a good stream of water. I was 
in the well digging about the time it was finished, 
and I noticed that at the place where we first 



298 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

found water, small quantities of sand would be 
continually working out of the wall or side of the 
well, and fall to the bottom. It soon made quite 
an opening, and commenced to look dangerous. 
We, however, finished it, and congratulated our- 
selves that we would have at least good, pure 
water. Great was our disappointment, however, 
when we looked down the well a few days after, 
and discovered that it had caved in in such a 
manner as to make it useless for us to think of 
working at it any longer. During the digging 
the rope broke, and let one of the boys fall about 
twelve or fifteen feet, but he was not hurt much. 
Several of these wells were used by the prisoners 
as a screen to cover their attempts to tunnel out. 
Under the pretence of digging a well for water, 
they dug into the earth for a considerable dis- 
tance ; and then, abandoning it, would start a few 
feet from the top, and commence tunneling for 
freedom. This work had to be done entirely 
after night, as the rebels were always on the 
watch; and even among us there were a few who, 
for a paltry amount of victuals or tobacco, were 
willing to betray their comrades. 

Just before my arrival in prison, the prisoners 
had made a most determined effort to tunnel and 
undermine the stockade. The plan was to 
weaken the stockade by tunneling under at five 
or six places, and then make a rush against it 
and push it over. They then intended to charge 



TUNNELING OUT. 299 

the rebel batteries, and try to capture them and 
turn the cannon on the rebels. The plan was 
well arranged, and as a large number of the most 
desperate men had organized and sworn to break 
out and get their freedom or die in the attempt, it 
mieht have been successful, at least so far as the 
overthrowing of the stockade was concerned, had 
not a traitor disclosed the plot to the enemy, who 
came in and had the tunnels shut up, and took 
the most vigorous measures to prevent an out- 
break. The miserable traitor was taken out of 
the prison, and no doubt received a reward for 
his treachery. 

As already mentioned, the stockade had been 
undermined in five or six places, and the deter- 
mined men who had accomplished the work had 
high hopes that the attempt to escape would be a 
success. When they found themselves betrayed 
by one who had assisted in the work, and whom 
they had not suspected of being capable of such 
meanness, their indignation was very great, and it 
was no doubt w^ell for the miscreant that his stay 
in the prison came to an abrupt determination, 
for his betrayed and outraged comrades would 
have torn him to pieces. It is not probable, how- 
ever, even had the effort to overthrow the stock- 
ade been successful, that any considerable number 
of the prisoners would have succeeded in getting 
to the Union lines ; and there can be no doubt 
that most of them would have been recaptured 



300 BATTLE FIELD AND PRLSON TEN. 

or killed. The rebel guard was very strongly 
reinforced, and the stockade strengthened, and 
everything indicated that the prisoners had at 
least succeeded in giving the rebels a good scare. 
Tunneling was frequently attempted after this 
failure, but only in one or two instances did any 
succeed in getting away, and then almost all were 
killed or recaptured. The rebels kept a pack of 
bloodhounds, and as soon as the discovery was 
made that any of the prisoners had escaped, 
these hounds were put on their track, and for- 
tunate indeed were the poor fugitives if they 
escaped death. We could hear the yelping of 
these furious dogs as they were unchained and 
sent in pursuit of our comrades, and our sym- 
pathy was aroused to its utmost extent for the 
unfortunate objects of their pursuit. At one 
time three prisoners succeeded in somehow get- 
ting away from the guard who accompanied them 
to the dead-house, and in a short time the yelp- 
ing of the dogs announced to us that they were 
being pursued. A few days after this occurred 
one of the guards informed us that they had met 
with a terrible death at the hands of their pur- 
suers. The guard stated that the prisoners, find- 
ing themselves pursued, and that they would 
surely be. overtaken, climbed on trees to escape 
the attack of the dogs. The rebels, who were on 
horseback, and but a short distance in the rear 
of the dogs, soon came up, and ordered the men 



TRAITORS AMONG THE PRISONERS. 3OI 

to come down. As soon as they reached the 
ground these chivalrous sons of the South put 
the dogs on them, who tore them to pieces. This 
is the story as given by one of their own men, 
whether truly or not I do not know; but as the 
escaped prisoners were not returned to the 
prison, it was no doubt true. The guard who 
gave us the information declared it was an out- 
rage, and denounced it in the most bitter terms. 

On the 2 2d of July a report reached us that 
Gen. Grant was killed in front of Petersburof. It 
created quite a sensation throughout the prison, 
and much anxiety in regard to the truth of the 
report. The arrival of a number of prisoners 
from the Army of the Potomac a few days later 
dispelled the fear, as they declared the report to 
be untrue. 

We almost always had some excitement to 
divert our minds from the terrible transactions 
going on around us. On the following day 
I went to the far end of the prison to see a 
friend, and on coming back I found the prisoners 
in our part of the prison in a great state of ex^ 
citement. Some of the men had about finished a 
tunnel, and expected to pass in a short time 
through it to freedom ; but the rebels discovered 
it, and had come into the prison for the purpose 
of shutting it up. The rebels intimated very 
plainly that they had received the information of 
its existence from one of our own men, and it 



302 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

created a terrible excitement and anxiety to find 
out who was the culprit. Suspicion at last rested 
on an Irishman known among us as " Big Tom." 
He was a man of immense stature, and was as 
good, honest, and warm-hearted a son of Erin as 
could be found anywhere. For some unaccount- 
able reason, a few of the prisoners suspected him 
of disclosing the tunnel to the rebels, and in a 
short time he was in the hands of a crowd of in- 
furiated men, who charged him with the crime. 
He earnestly denied the charge; but the mad- 
dened men would ilot listen to him or give him a 
chance to defend himself. A considerable num- 
ber of those who believed Tom innocent, gath- 
ered together and made an effort to get him out 
of the hands of the mob. After considerable 
trouble we succeeded in doing this, but not until 
the poor fellow was in a sad plight. His hair 
was cut off on one side of his head, and he had 
received a terrible beating. One of the enraged 
men had struck him over his left eye with a stick 
of wood, Inflicting a severe wound. During the 
terrible trial he passed through, and when his life 
was in the most imminent danger, the brave 
Irishman kept as cool and collected as possible 
for any one to be under such circumstances ; and 
although protesting his innocence in the most 
earnest manner, he did not betray any indications 
of fear. 

After we succeeded In getting him away from 



A TRAITOR PUNISHED. 3O3 

his tormentors, he requested me to dress the 
wound on his face and cHp the balance of his hair, 
" so as to look more respectable," as he ex- 
pressed it. I cut off his hair and fixed up his 
wound as best I could ; and during the remainder 
of my prison life I do not think I had a better or 
warmer friend than " Big Tom." I could not 
help noticing that he enjoyed my company per- 
haps a little better than he did that of any one 
else in the prison ; and when on one occasion he 
said to me, " Urban, I hope the day may come 
when I can do you a favor," I felt that the wish 
came from the warm-hearted man's heart, and 
should I ever need a friend, with Tom in call, he 
would not be found wanting. 

In a few hours after we had got Tom out of 
the hands of the mob, the excitement was re- 
newed in the central part of the prison ; and on 
going there I found that the prisoners, who had 
kept on hunting for the guilty party, had arrested 
another man on suspicion of disclosing the tunnel 
to the enemy. This time, however, they suc- 
ceeded in getting the right one. His base con- 
duct was found out from the fact that he had a 
considerable quantity of food and tobacco ; and 
on being questioned in regard to where he re- 
ceived it, he could give no satisfactory answer, 
and his fear disclosed the fact that he was the 
guilty party. His demeanor was just the oppo- 
site of that of the one who was first arrested. 



304 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

His face was as pale as death, and his limbs 
shook with terror, as he confessed that he was 
guilty of the deed, and he begged most piteoudy 
that his life might be spared. His captors had 
succeeded in getting possession of an old well- 
rope, by which they intended to hang him in one 
of the wells ; and they would have succeeded in 
accomplishing their object, had not Wirz found 
out the state of affairs, and sent in a squad of 
men to rescue him. He was taken outside, but 
did not fare as well as the traitor who had dis- 
closed the first tunnel. Instead of protecting 
him, and keeping him out of the prison, as they 
in honor were bound to do, Capt. Wirz had him 
sent back into prison again. He issued an order, 
however, before doing so, that he would stop our 
rations if we killed the traitor. 

The poor miserable wretch, almost dead with 
fright, was sent back to us again, where he knew 
that almost every one's hand would be turned 
against him. He no doubt bitterly regretted 
serving masters who so illy repaid him. He did 
not live long after being sent back by the rebels. 
He was abused by some and shunned by all, and 
in a short time his body was carried to the 

DEAD HOUSE. 

This place was only a short distance from the 
prison, and was constructed of pine limbs and 
brush, which formed a kind of a cover or screen 
to keep off the sun. To this horrid spot more 



THE DEAD PRISONERS. 305 

than thirteen thousand dead prisoners of war 
were carried during the history of this one South- 
ern prison. After the death of the prisoner, his 
comrades would write his name, company, and 
regiment on a piece of paper, and then pin it on 
his clothing. If his name was not known, as was 
sometimes the case, the single word " Unknown" 
was written on the paper. They were then car- 
ried to the Dead House, and laid side by side on 
the ground. Sometimes more than one hundred 
bodies would be lying in a row at one time, 
awaiting burial. 

When the prison was first established, the 
rebels furnished plain pine coffins for the dead ; 
but that was soon abandoned, and ^they com- 
menced burying in long trenches, in which the 
bodies of the men were laid side by side, covering 
them with earth. They then drove a stake into 
the ground at the head of each body, and num- 
bered it. A record of the dead was kept by a 
Union soldier, who had been paroled for that 
purpose. His duty was to enter the name, com- 
pany, and regiment, of the dead soldier, in a book 
called the "dead-list." These names were all 
numbered, and corresponded with the numbers 
on the stakes in the cemetery. The soldier thus 
employed kept a secret list of the dead, and after 
the close of the war he gave it to the Govern- 
ment. This enabled the Government to take up 
all the dead and re-bury them with cofiins, and 
20 



306 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

furnish tomb-stones with the respective names, 
companies, and regiments, on them. The cem- 
etery is located one mile from the prison, on high 
dry ground, surrounded with pine trees, making 
it a pleasant place, and well adapted for a bury- 
ing-ground. ^ 

A considerable number of men were employed 
to remove the corpses from the Dead House to 
the cemetery, and bury them. It was said these 
men received large quantities of whisky to enable 
them to do this horrid work — and horrid it was in 
the extreme, for some of the bodies had become 
so decomposed as to almost fall to pieces when 
taken from the Dead House. It may perhaps 
seem incredible to the reader, but it is neverthe- 
less a fact, that it was considered quite a privilege 
among the prisoners inside of the stockade to 
carry out the dead, and some of the men even 
quarreled for the privilege. The principal reason 
was the hope that they might be allowed to get 
some wood on the way back, which was very 
scarce and valuable with us. It was also pleasant 
to get out into the woods, and away from our 
horrible abode, even if it was only for a few 
moments. A few also succeeded in making their 
escape while engaged in this work ; ^nd no doubt 
the hope that some such opportunity might recur 
was a strong inducement with the men who 
helped in this horrible work. 

One of the prisoners managed to escape by 



SHAMMING DEATH. 307 

playing a clever trick on the rebels, which was 
accomplished In this manner: He feigned death, 
and then had several of his comrades to carry 
him to the Dead House, and place him In line 
with the dead. In the morning the burying party 
found his place vacant. He had no doubt struck 
a ** bee-line" for the Union lines, and I hope the 
clever fellow succeeded in finding them. The 
rebels after this kept a watch over the dead, for 
the purpose of preventing any more such 
*' Yankee tricks." It was, however, but a short 
time after this that at least one tried the same 
game ; but he was not so successful. His com- 
rades, who were in the secret, carried him to the 
gate, expecting to pass the guards and deposit 
him In the Dead House. With his name, com- 
pany, and regiment pinned on his clothing, and 
his hands crossed over his breast, he looked in- 
deed as if he were dead; and they no doubt 
would have been successful in passing through 
the gate with the pretended corpse, had not an 
accident occurred that revealed the true state 
of affairs to the guards. The gate w^as thrown 
open, and the stretcher-bearers proceeded to 
pass through, when unfortunately the pretended 
dead man let one of his arms fall to his side in 
such a limp manner as to arouse the suspicions 
of the rebels, who ordered the men to stop, and 
then proceeded to examine their load. When 
they found that he was alive they laughed heart- 



308 BATFLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

ily, and declared that nothing was equal to the 

" d d Yankees." They did not, however, 

punish him, but sent him back to his fellows 
again. I suppose it is not necessary to state that 
he was not carried back. .His comrades were 
too much disgusted with him for making the 
awkward mistake to do anything of that kind. 

From the 20th of July to the last of the month, 
the arrival of prisoners was very great. A con- 
siderable number arrived from the Army of the 
Potomac on the 23d, and over two thousand from 
Sherman's army came in on the 28th and 29th of 
the month. About five hundred came in on the 
27th, who were captured on the Monocacy creek 
in Maryland, which proved conclusively that the 
rebels had again invaded the North. This last 
lot of prisoners were ninety-day men, and were 
just fresh from home, and presented an appear- 
ance so healthy and fresh as to form a strong 
contrast between them and the old prisoners. 
They had been left in possession of their blankets 
and knapsacks, and as we watched them coming 
in I remarked to a companion that I considered 
them the best-lookingf men I had ever seen. 
*' Yes," he replied, " they should be able to stand 
it for awhile." A few weeks, however, demon- 
strated the fact that they could not endure as 
much as the old soldiers, and the mortality soon 
became very great among them. Some of them 
died in less than two weeks after their arrival. 



TERRIBLE MORTALITY. 309 

It was the same with the men who belonged to 
the heavy artillery regiments in the Army of the 
Potomac. These men had been stationed in the 
forts in and around Washington, and knew com- 
paratively nothing of the hardships of a soldier's 
life. When Grant received the command of the 
armies he had these soldiers armed with rifles, 
organized into infantry regiments, and sent to the 
front. The name "heavy artillery" clung to 
them, it being the name they were known by in 
the army. A considerable number of them were 
captured in the campaign from the Rapidan to 
the James river, and of those sent to Anderson- 
ville almost all died. The mortality among them 
in a short time after their arrival was terrible in 
the extreme. Close to our quarters twelve of 
them, belonging to one regiment, quartered. 
They dug a hole in the ground about eighteen 
inches deep, and banked up the loose earth to 
keep the water from flowing into it. They had 
been left in possession of a few blankets, and 
with these they formed a roof. After it was 
finished it looked comfortable compared to some 
of the lodging places which the other boys had, 
but it was undoubtedly a mistake in them to dig 
in the ground as they did. Death soon came 
among them, and one by one they fell victims to 
the fell destroyer, until only one remained of the 
twelve stout, hearty men, who less than three 
months before had entered the prison; and he 



3IO BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

was SO sick when we were removed to Mlllen 
prison that he could not go along. Thinking we 
were going home, he made frantic efforts to get 
up and accompany us, but all in vain ; he was too 
far gone, and I have no doubt he too very soon 
after fell a victim to rebel brutality. 

The name of this poor unfortunate, I think, 
was William Lanodon, and he was from the inter- 
ior of New York State. He had been in the 
army but a few short months when he was cap- 
tured and taken to Andersonville. In conversa- 
tion with him one day, he informed me that he 
had received a letter from home a few days 
before his capture, informing him that he was the 
father of twin daughters ; and he often talked 
about them, and told us how anxious he was to 
get home to see them. When we left he wept 
and begged piteously to be taken along, but we 
were obliged to leave him. 

The arrival of so many prisoners made us feel 
somewhat anxious in regard to the Union cause, 
especially when we knew that some were cap- 
tured so far North. The most of them, however, 
gave us a cheerful account of the situation, and 
declared the Southern Confederacy almost played 
out. They also assured us that if the number of 
prisoners arriving was large, the number of rebel 
soldiers being sent North was larger. As the 
prisoners who were captured in Maryland came 
into the prison, we crowded toward the gate for 



LONGING FOR DEATH. 3 I I 

the purpose of getting a talk with them, when 
the rebels, who, I suppose, thought we intended 
making an attempt to escape, fired a cannon-ball 
directly over our heads. We at first believed 
that they intended to open fire on the prison, and 
some of the prisoners threw themselves in terror 
on the ground; but from the throats of thousands 
of the doomed men inside of the prison arose 
such a howl of derision and defiance as was per- 
haps never before heard on the face of the earth. 
No tongue can express, nor pen describe, the 
intensity of that cry. It appeared as if on the 
instant that the cannon flashed fire, every mind 
was moved with the same impulse, and the thun- 
der of human voices all came as from one orreat 
mighty throat. I have heard the mighty shouts 
of thousands of men when charorinor on each 

o o 

other in mortal combat ; I have heard the cheer- 
ing of legions of men flushed with joy at the 
announcement of a great victory, or when some 
famous commander rode along the line ; but I 
have never heard a cry or cheer to compare with 
the one that sprang simultaneously from the 
throats of the doomed men at Andersonville 
prison. One poor fellow, who was almost dead, 
made an effort to get up, at the same time ex- 
claiming, " My God, why do they not continue 
firing, and end our misery?" 

After the gates were closed, several rebels 
came in and planted a line of poles through the 



312 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

prison, on which were placed small white flags. 
This was intended to warn us not to approach or 
gather in crowds nearer to the gate than the 
poles when prisoners were being marched in. 
Capt. Wirz declared that if we did he would open 
fire on us, and fire away as long as any one was 
*' left kicking." 

All of this time the rebels worked like beavers 
on their fortifications, and in cutting down trees. 
Almost every train brought in reinforcements for 
the rebels, and the ground in the direction of the 
station became white with tents. On the arrival 
of some of the trains we could hear the rebels 
cheering loudly, and we felt anxious to find out 
the nature of the news they received. The 
prison was now again in a fearfully crowded con- 
dition, and, although death was carrying off the 
prisoners at the rate of almost one hundred per 
day, the new arrivals were much in excess of the 
number carried out. 

The weather for the last three weeks had been 
warm and dry, with the exception of two or three 
days, and consequently the prison was again in a 
dreadfully filthy condition. Some of the men 
were giving up all hope of ever being released, 
and some became so despondent that they be- 
came insane. The ravings, prayers and curses 
of these men added much to the horrors of the 
prison. Some of them wandered around the 
prison in the most helpless manner, and begged 



IDIOCY AND MANIA. 313 

piteously for something to eat. Some of the 
poor wretches Imagined themselves animals, and 
moved around on their hands and knees, hunting 
for something to eat. Some of them gathered 
the undigested beans lying around on the ground, 
and ate them. The number of these poor unfor- 
tunates who were becoming idiotic was fearfully 
on the increase, and this had now become the 
worst feature of our prison-life. On one occa- 
sion I was going through the prison when my 
attention was attracted by the cries of some one, 
and going in the « direction from which it pro- 
ceeded, I found one of these poor unfortunate 
ones, who although in a dying condition was 
trying to make a speech to a few men who had 
gathered around him. He was entirely out of 
his mind, and I am sorry to say that some of the 
men around him were making a jest of it. The 
poor fellow was reclining against the side of a 
mud-house, and made frantic efforts to get up, 
but was unable to do so. Findings he could not 
get on his feet, he proceeded with his remarks in 
a reclining position. Judging from his language 
and the excellent quotations he made, he must 
have been a man who had read extensively; but 
it was a strange mixture of broken remarks 
which made up his discourse. He appeared to 
think, however, that his speech was making a 
great impression on his hearers, and was entirely 
unconscious of the fact that some of them were 



314 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

ridiculing him. He would commence in quite a 
grand style on the greatness and prosperity of 
the country, but in a few moments he would 
change his discourse, and dwell on the inhuman- 
ity of man; and rebels, devils, and starvaUon 
would be so mixed up with it, that no intelligent 
sentence could be taken out of it. Some of 
his hearers conducted themselves In a manner 
that proved pretty conclusively that good sense 
and good manners were none of their qualifica- 
tions, one of them exclaiming, " Go on, old fellow, 
we will carry you out in the morning, and trade 
you off for wood." The* poor fellow appeared to 
think they were complimenting him on his 
oratory, and it only encouraged him to greater 
efforts. I could not conceal my disgust at the 
want of feeling displayed by a few of the men, 
and I told them pretty plainly what I thought of 
them. One of them replied, "Well, he don't 
know what we are saying, and he will soon be 
better off than we are, anyhow." I left the spot 
thoroughly disgusted with them, but I could not 
but think how indifferent we all were becominor 
in regard to death. Men were dying all around 
us every hour of the day, but we had become so 
accustomed . to such scenes that they had ceased 
to make much impression on us. How shocked 
we would have been at home, or even In the 
army, to be compelled to witness a scene such as 
we here witnessed every day. A few hours after 



NEWS FROM WITHOUT. 315 

leaving the dying man, I went back to see if he 
was still living, but found that he had passed 
over the dark river. His clouded mind had left 
the poor emaciated body, and winged its way to 
a fairer, brighter home, where sorrow, pain and 
death can come no more. 

As I looked at the dead bodies of our com- 
rades, I could not help wishing that the men who 
were at the head of the Government could look 
into our prison-pen, and see the condition we 
were in. I thought surely if they could but 
know the true state of affairs, some great effort 
would be made to release us. In spite of the 
many rumors of exchange, a large number of 
the prisoners were fast sinking into the belief 
that we would all have to perish. We had been 
disappointed so often by these reports, that we 
had lost all faith in them. 

We sometimes got a chance to talk with some 
of our guards, and as we were very anxious 
to find out all we could in regard to what was 
going on in the outside world, we took the priv- 
ilege whenever an opportunity occurred. These 
guards, as a general thing, boasted of their vic- 
tories ; but some would occasionally admit that 
things looked a little blue for them — that, in fact, 
the Confederacy was about played out. Occa- 
sionally we met with one who informed us that he 
was a Union man, and was in the rebel army only 
because he was compelled to be. The rebels 



31 6 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

boasted that our prison contained prisoners from 
almost all the States in the Union, including the 
states they called the ^* Southern Confederacy," 
and this was no doubt true; but we could not 
understand on what special grounds they made 
this boast, as it revealed the fact that the love for 
the orlorious Union was not crushed out entirely 

o 

even in this section of the country, which they 
claimed as exclusively their own. That men who 
were born and reared in the South would suffer 
the agony and misery of living and even dying in 
a hell like Andersonville before they would enter 
the rebel army, is a high tribute to the glorious 
character and unflinching loyalty of the Union 
men of the South. All honor to them ; and may 
the day hasten when their services will be more 
fully recognized everywhere ! There can be no 
doubt that thousands of the men in the South, 
and even a considerable number in the rebel 
army, had no heart in the rebellion, and were 
secretly wishing for the restoration of the Union. 
We noticed that the rebel flag was very little dis- 
played in the South. In going through the towns 
and cities in our travels through the South, we 
would rarely get to see one ; while we remem- 
bered with pride that in our Northern homes 
almost every house contained the dear starry 
emblem of our country. We remembered with 
pleasure the countless number of flags which 
decorated the streets when we left home to fight 



THE OLD FLAG AND THE NEW. 317 

the battles of our country, and that even the Httle 
children were loud in the demonstration of their 
patriotic feelings for the old flag. It was not so 
in the South, and it would indeed have been 
strange if it had been. The people had lived 
long under the protection of the Stars and 
Stripes, and it was hard to obliterate from their 
hearts all love and respect for the old flag. 

The common class of people, or at least the 
more intelligent part of them, commenced to 
understand that the new flag had no tendency 
to better their own condition. The corner-stone 
of the Government the leaders in the South en- 
deavored to establish was slavery, and by far the 
majority of the people of the South had really no 
interest in that institution. Slavery was a curse 
to the common, or most numerous, class of people 
in the South. In fact, the South contained a 
large number of poor whites who were even in a 
worse condition than the slaves ; and the light of 
the present day has revealed the fact that not 
only this class, but almost the entire population 
of the South, was benefited by the abolishment of 
that great curse, human slavery, in the South. 

The only exception may be the very wealthy 
aristocratic slaveholders, who became rich by the 
sweat of others, and who looked upon the poor 
" white trash," as they were pleased to call them, 
as even below slaves, and entitled to less consid- 
eration at their hands than the blacks received. 



31 8 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Unfortunately, ignorance was so general among 
the poor class of people that the rich slave- 
holders, who, as a rule, were the intelligent class, 
could make them believe just what suited them. 
I have frequently met and conversed with rebel 
soldiers in regard to the war, and almost always 
found them commencing with the inquiry, "What 
do you *uns' come down 'ere and fight we 'uns' 
for?" To one who had thus interrogated me, I 
replied, "We have come to suppress rebellion in 
the South and save the Union." "No sir; you 
have come here to take away our slaves," he 
answered. Thinking it a waste of words to try 
to explain to him the true state of affairs, I con- 
cluded to cut the conversation short by asking 
him how many slaves he was the owner of. He 
answered, " I do not own any." " Is your father 
a slaveholder?" "No sir." "Will you please 
state to me what benefit slavery has been to you 
or your family?" He frankly admitted that he 
did not know of any, but still persisted that we 
Jiad come down to steal their slaves and carry 
off their women and children. He was a fair 
sample of thousands of soldiers in the Southern 
army. Too ignorant to understand anything of 
the real cause of the war, they blindly followed 
the leadership of men who cared less for them 
than they did for the blacks on their plantations. 
Had free schools and education been as general 
in the South as they were in the North, the great 



MISAPPREHENSIONS AT THE SOUTH. 319 

rebellion would never have occurred. I met with 
one rebel soldier, however, who appeared to have 
his eyes open to the true state of affairs. " I can 
tell you," he said, " we poor people are a set of 
fools for fighting to build up a slaveholders' 
Government in the South." "What did you 
enlist for?" I asked. "Oh well," he replied, "I 
was made to believe that you 'uns' in the North 
would come down 'ere and destroy our homes 
and carry off our people." " Well," I asked, 
"did you find these reports about us to be true?" 
"Oh no," he frankly answered, "your men are 
just about as we are. I suppose we have as bad 
among our soldiers as you have among yours. 
Some of your soldiers camped right close to my 
house, and I must say my family was treated very 
kindly by them." 

I noticed that in speaking of the treatment that 
their men received when prisoners of war in the 
North, they never claimed that any injustice or 
cruelty was practiced on them. Some of them 
had friends who had been prisoners of war, and 
they were compelled to admit that there was a 
wide difference between the treatment they re- 
ceived and , that which we were compelled to 
endure. Some of them even spoke in the warm- 
est praise of the generosity of our Government 
toward their captives. 

We could not help contrasting this with our 
miserable condition; and is it strancre that we 



320 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

sometimes felt embittered against the Govern- 
ment for not making a greater effort to release 
us ? But as true as the needle to the north pole 
so were the most of the Union soldiers confuied 
in Southern prisons to the Government they hp.d 
sworn to defend. They might feel themselves 
slighted, neglected, or even deserted, by the Gov- 
ernment, and among themselves be tempted to say 
some bitter things ; but a word or insinuation to 
that effect from their enemies would excite their 
ire and indignation to the utmost, and they were 
always ready to defend the Government from the 
charge that it was not doing all it could to release 
them. It was, however, a sad fact that hundreds 
died with the fear haunting them that it was so. 
Men who had cheerfully faced death on many a 
battle-field, lay down and died broken-hearted, 
as the terrible suspicion forced itself into their 
minds that the Government they loved so well, 
and had fought so hard to save, was indifferent to 
their sad fate. 

That thirty thousand men suffered all the hor- 
rors of a living death, and that more than thir- 
teen thousand died from exposure and starvation, 
rather than betray their country, established the 
fact that there is no spot on the face of the earth 
where greater heroism or loyalty was displayed 
than in this horrid prison-pen. These men, ex- 
posed to the rays of a Southern sun by day, to 
rain and storm by night, suffering from mad- 



LOYAL PRISONERS. 321 

denlng thirst and gnawing hunger, consumed by 
lice, fleas, mosquitoes, and maggots, suffering from 
scurvy until the teeth dropped from the gums, 
enduring all the pain, agony, and misery that 
could be inflicted on them, and dying at the rate 
of more than one hundred per day, unflinchingly 
remained faithful to their flag, and, although 
food, clothing, and life were offered them to 
betray their country, less than five per cent, ac- 
cepted the rebels' offers ; and it is but justice to 
them to say that some of these fled to the Union 
lines at the first opportunity that presented itself. 
I think it but just to say that no blame can be 
attached to the most of the people of the South 
in regard to the course of treatment adopted by 
the rebel authorities. Only those living in the 
immediate vicinity of the prison probably knew 
much about it, and they were in a position where 
they could not have prevented it. But to Jeff*. 
Davis, his Cabinet, and such tools as Gen. 
Winder, Capt. Wirz, and Lieut. Davis, belongs 
the infamy of destroying thousands of Union 
prisoners, contrary to the rules of war. 

Capt. Wirz and Lieut. Davis paid the penalty 
of their crimes by death on the scaffold ; but the 
big sinners. President Davis, Winder & Com- 
pany, went " scot free." On what principles of 
justice the Government hung the old Dutch Cap- 
tain and his Lieutenant, and let the men who 
were in authority, and were responsible for it all, 

21 



322 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

go unpunished, is one of the things which are 
past finding out. It would surely not be very 
creditable to the intelligence of the Confederate 
authorities at Richmond to assume that they were 
not aware that thousands of their captives were 
dying of starvation and exposure in their prisons. 
It is worse than useless for them to try to defend 
themselves on the plea of inability to prevent it. 
Permitted to starve in a country where at least 
corn was very abundant ; suffering for water with 
Sweetbrier Creek, a pure stream, but one mile 
from the prison ; lying and dying on the ground 
exposed to the terrible rays of the sun until, as in 
many instances, the hands and face had burned 
to blisters ; shelterless during the most terrific 
storms, with forests and lumber piles all around 
them ; compelled frequently to eat their scanty 
rations raw, for the want of a little wood, at the 
same time that their enemies were destroying the 
timber outside of the stockade for the purpose of 
getting it out of the way ; does it seem probable 
that the rebels were doing all they could to pre- 
vent the fearful mortality in Andersonville? No ; 
there are too many links in the impregnable chain 
of evidence to prove that it was a fully-premed- 
itated, devilish plan to reduce the Union armies. 
When we remember the fearfully large number 
that perished in the different Southern prisons, 
we may well believe the boast of Gen. Winder, 
that he was destroying more Yankees than Lee 



REBEL AND FEDERAL PRISONS. 



O^J 



was by fighting In the front. Is not the fact that 
more than thirteen thousand able-bodied died in 
one Southern prison alone, sufficient argument to 
convince any one that it was a plot of Davis and 
his advisers to destroy the troops of the Govern- 
ment they were trying to overthrow ? Is it reas- 
onable to suppose that with proper shelter and 
sufficient food, ten per cent, of the number that 
were in prison would have died ? Take the same 
number of men in the United States army that 
were in Andersonville, and in the time that the 
thirteen thousand perished, the mortality from 
disease could not have been five per cent. But, 
allowing that ten per cent, of the prisoners would 
have died had they been properly taken care of, 
the fact remains that about ten thousand fell vic- 
tims to rebel brutality. And then, let it be re- 
membered that at Fort Delaware and Johnson's 
Island, two of the prominent prisons where rebel 
prisoners were confined, the mortality was only 
two per cent, of the number confined for the 
same lenordi of time as those at Andersonville. 

Look upon the two pictures, reader, and then 
say if there was no design to murder the poor 
Union soldiers who fell into their hands ! The 
mind of the person not believing it must indeed 
be warped in "treason and treasonable sym- 
pathies," and they belong to that class of people 
mentioned in Holy Writ, "They have ears but 
they hear not, and eyes but they see not." No, 



324 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

kind reader, it was not as counsel for Wirz claimed 
when he made his plea for the life of the monster 
whose catalogue of crimes was as long and black 
as the worst demon that was ever arraigned be- 
fore a legal tribunal to answer for his horrible 
deeds — it was not " a fantasy of the brain, a wild 
chimera as unsubstantial as the baseless fabric of 
a dream." It was a terrible fact, and one that 
will hand down the names of the perpetrators to 
endless infamy. 

Time has done, and will yet do, much to heal 
up the wounds created by the war. This is as it 
should be; we all belong to one brotherhood, and 
should glory in the fact of a united Nation. 
But alter centuries have passed away the name 
of Andersonville will be a reproach and a by-word 
to the civilization of the nineteenth century. The 
time is fast coming when every intelligent citizen 
of the country will wish, but in vain, that the name 
of every Southern military prison could be erased 
from our country's history, and the recollections 
of them from the minds of the people. 

That the United States authorities hune two 
miserable tools, and let the head and front of the 
conspirators, Jefferson Davis and Gen. Winder, 
escape punishment for their crimes, will ever be 
a reproach to the "Temple of Justice," and a 
stigma on the Government which failed to protect 
its sworn subjects. True, Wirz and his lieutenant 
richly deserved the punishment they received, for 



WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE ? 325 

they were the willing tools of their superiors, and 
so were alike guilty; and again, a ''superior officer 
cannot order a subordinate to do an unlawful act; 
and if a subordinate obey such an order, both are 
guilty." But these two men, with all their guilt, 
might have said to Jefferson Davis as Herbert 
said to King John : " Here is your hand and seal 
for all I did, and in the winking of authority did 
we understand a law." 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Great Mortality in August — The Great Storm — Providential 
Spring — Departure from Andersonville — Arrival at Savannah — 
Departure for Millen Prison. 

TT was now the first of August, and almost two 
months of our prIson-Hfe, with all of its pain, 
sorrow, and disappointments, had been endured ; 
and when I remembered the terrible sufferine we 
had lived through, and the large number that had 
miserably perished, I felt indeed that I was for- 
tunate in still beinof in the land of the livinor. 
The hope that had never entirely forsaken me of 
a speedy release, had kept me up so far, and it 
was indeed well that a wise Providence hid from 
me the future ; for, could I have foreseen the fact 
that, although much as we had already endured, 
it was not equal in intensity of suffering to what 
was yet to come, I would, no doubt, have given 
up in despair. 

During this month more than three thousand 
Union prisoners perished in this one Southern 
prison, being an average of about one hundred 
deaths for every day in the month. Of these 
about one-half perished in the first ten days of 
the month, when an event occurred which greatly 
benefited the sanitary condition of the prison, and 

(326) 



ANDERSON VILLE IN AUGUST. 327 

lessened the mortality. These ten days were 
undoubtedly the most terrible in the history of 
this notorious prison. The weather was the 
warmest we had yet experienced, and the rains 
had not been sufficient to wash much of the filth 
away, and most of it that did wash from the hill- 
sides of the prison lodged on the swamp. Terri- 
ble as was the prison on the high ground, it was 
much worse on the latter-named place. This 
place had become very filthy in the early history 
of the prison, but it was now In a condition which 
threatened to destroy every one of us. The filth 
which had washed from the hills, with the excre- 
ment of thousands of prisoners, had now become 
so putrid and full of vermin, that to stand on the 
banks and look upon it, it would seem as If the 
entire swamp was a living mass of Insect life. 
From this large body of rottenness, and of pes- 
tilence, came millions of maggots, worms, and 
other vermin, which spread themselves all over 
the prison. These loathsome things had at first 
confined themselves almost entirely to that part 
of the prison ; but at this time I do not believe 
that there was one foot of ground in the entire 
prison which did not contain some of them. 
Many of the prisoners, who had become too weak 
to help themselves, were covered with them, and 
were literally eaten up. To look upon these 
poor tortured ones, too far gone to get up or lift 
a hand to help themselves, or to keep off the lice, 



328 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

magsfots, and worms that were devouring them, 
and in some cases could be seen issuing from 
their eyes, ears, and mouth — befouled with filth, 
writhing in helpless agony, and praying that God 
would release them from their terrible condition 
and awful misery — was a sight so sickening, and 
a sound so horrible, that it was enough to shock 
the beholder insane with terror. 

The stench arisinor from the rottin^ matter had 
become almost unendurable. Pestilent vapors 
loaded the air with deadly poison, which found an 
easy lodging place on the half-starved beings in- 
side of the prison. The water had now become 
so impure that it was almost impossible to get a 
drink of it that was palatable inside of the stock- 
ade. Not only the stream and springs along its 
banks were impure, but even the few deep wells 
had become so from vermin dropping into them. 
I have walked along the stream, and examined 
spring after spring to get a cup of water that was 
a little better than the rest, and would at last be 
compelled to dip it from some spring, the bottom 
of which would be white with maoforots. A laro^e 
stream of pure water ran within a few hundred 
yards of us, and we were compelled to drink of 
this horrid stuff! 

Scurvy, the most destructive disease that af- 
flicted us, was now becoming fearfully prevalent, 
and more than one-half of the prisoners were 
more or less afhicted with it. More than one- 



SUFFERING FROM SCURVY. 329 

half of the number that died perished of this 
dreaded disease. This disease is the result of 
impure air, bad water and Improper food, and as 
we had the two first-named articles in abundance, 
and what we did have of the third was of the im- 
proper kind, the result was, of course, scurvy. 
The first indication of its dreaded approach was 
almost always at the gums, or about the mouth. 
The gums became soft and ulcerated, and in a 
short time, if the disease was not checked, the 
teeth became loose, and in many cases dropped 
out. In some cases the body became covered 
with scaly, yellowish spots, and these soon de- 
veloped into running ulcers, and the entire body 
of the poor victim was soon in the most hor- 
rible condition. In some cases the limbs swelled 
and face puffed up until the skin burst. It 
sometimes appeared as if the afilicted party was 
suffering with dropsy, but it was no doubt scurvy 
in its worst form that was doing it all. A most 
painful diarrhoea or discharge from the bowels, 
largely composed of blood, almost always accom- 
panied it, and added to the suffering of the 
victim. Often the lower limbs became full of 
holes, and in some cases almost rotted off 
Streams of offensive blood poured from the nose, 
mouth, and different parts of the body. Gan- 
grene also often got into these sores, and finally 
mortification took place, and ended the terrible 
sufferings of the poor victims. 



330 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Terrible as this disease was, it could be easily 
checked when it first made its appearance, if the 
afflicted one could get potatoes, onions, or any 
kind of fruit or vegetables. Raw potatoes and 
onions were especially beneficial. When in its 
first stages, I have known it to be checked by the 
use of one raw potato. With us this disease was 
undoubtedly caused by the want of good water, 
wholesome food, and pure air ; and had these 
things been given us by our enemies, this loath- 
some disease would soon have disappeared from 
our midst. The prisoner who found himself at- 
tacked with this disease would trade off anything 
he might have in his possession, so as to get 
something to check it. 

A rebel sutler furnished such things as would 
supply our wants, but at such prices that what 
little the new prisoners succeeded in getting into 
prison with them would soon be in his possession. 
One dollar for a small potato, and the same for 
an onion, was about a fair sample of the prices 
charged by the rebels to get what money they 
could not steal from us when captured. Almost 
every prisoner had succeeded in getting some 
little money, or other small valuables, into prison 
with them, and quite a trade sprung up between 
them and the rebel guards. Our brass buttons 
especially were prized quite highly among our 
enemies, and they were almost all the time ready 
for a trade for them. I had traded off everything 



TRADING BUTTONS. 33 1 

that I could possibly give, with the exception of 
several rings and my coat buttons. The rings I 
prized so highly from associations connected with 
them, that I could not make up my mind to let 
them go ; but as the coat was in danger of going 
to pieces anyhow, I concluded to trade off the 
buttons. 

Gilbert and Fralich were both showing symp- 
toms of getting scurvy, and we began to anx- 
iously consider what we could do to prevent it 
from getting worse. One of the sentry-boxes 
was direcdy opposite to us, and as only the small 
space of ground between the dead-line and the 
stockade separated us, we had a good oppor- 
tunity of conversing with the guards who would 
get on this post. We hailed several of them in 
regard to a trade for our buttons, but were 
unsuccessful until a guard came on post who 
wanted a dozen of New York State buttons. 
The rebels appeared to value that kind of button 
very highly, and would pay more for them than 
for the common United States Recrulation button. 
We did not have any of the former kind ; but as 
our necessity was great, and believing that the 
end jus.tified the means, we concluded to play a 
trick on the rebel by giving him United States 
buttons in place of the ones he wanted. After 
some little bargaining, he promised to furnish us 
with two quarts of corn meal, three pounds of 
pork, three potatoes, and three onions, providing 



332 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

that we eot him one dozen New York State but- 
tons — the exchange to be after dark. Watching 
that he did not notice what we were doing, we 
cut off a dozen of our buttons, and after rub- 
bing them until they shone Hke gold, we strung 
them on a string, and held them up for his in- 
spection. He was pleased, and remarked, "All 
right, boys; I will be ready for you when I get on 
post to-night." We waited anxiously for his ap- 
pearance, nine o'clock being the time we ex- 
pected to make the trade. We were already 
enjoying the anticipation of the good meal we 
would have, and we were heartily glad when the 
guard made his appearance and informed us that 
he was ready for the trade. He requested one 
of us to cross the dead-line, and come to the 
stockade and throw up the buttons. As a guard 
was but a short distance on each side of him, we 
felt a little suspicious about doing so, and asked 
him what guarantee we would have that they 
would not fire on the one crossing. He then told 
us that he had made arrangements with the other 
guards about that, and we would be in no danger. 
We, however, still felt somewhat timorous about 
crossing, as we thought it might possibly be a 
trap to get us over the dead-line ; so we hes- 
itated for a few moments, and talked the matter 
over among ourselves, when Fralich, who was 
getting impatient, grabbed the buttons, and step- 
ping over the dead-line, ran to the stockade with 



"YANKEE TRICKS. 333 

them. He threw them up to the guard, and 
catching the bag that the guard dropped contain- 
ing the victuals, he safely returned to us. The 
guard had, however, missed catching the buttons, 
which dropped to the ground, thus compelling 
Fralich to go back again and give them to him. 
We watched him examining the buttons, but as 
he said nothing, we supposed he could not dis- 
cover the difference in the dark. In the morning 
when he came on post he told us that we had 
cheated him. We told him that no New York 
buttons could be found, and as we were very 
hungry, we concluded to fool him a little. He 
did not, however, appear to care much, and 
laughed over the matter, saying that we were up 
to all kinds of " Yankee tricks." The guard had 
given us fully as much as he had promised, and 
we had a glorious feast that night. The potatoes 
and onions especially were most welcome, and I 
have no doubt they did us much good. I do not 
think I ever in all my life enjoyed the meal as I 
did the one that night. We had enough to eat 
all the next day, and felt much refreshed, and our 
fortunate trade was quite a blessing to us. 

On the afternoon of the 2d we had a severe 
thunder-storm, but not much rain, which we re- 
gretted, as it was not enough to wash away the 
filth, and the terrible arhount of it that had ac- 
cumulated made us wish for a severe rain to 
carry some of it away. On the 3d, four hundred 



334 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

and forty-two prisoners arrived from Gen. Stone- 
man's command, captured the day before at 
Macon, Georgia. On the following day about 
five hundred more arrived from Gen. McCook's 
command, captured south of Atlanta. 

It appears that after the great battle of Peach 
Tree Creek, in which the noble Gen. McPherson 
lost his life. Gen. Sherman ordered Gen. Stone- 
man to move with a force of about five thousand 
mounted men around the left flank of the rebel 
army, and Gen. McCook with a force of about 
four thousand around their right flank, both com- 
mands to march on and destroy the Macon rail- 
road. This road was the only one in possession 
of the rebels that could furnish Atlanta with sup- 
plies. Gen. Stoneman requested and received 
permission to move with his force on Macon and 
Andersonville, and attempt the recapture of the 
Union prisoners confined at those places. The 
two commands were to destroy the railroads at 
different places, and then form a junction at 
Lovejoy Station. Gen. Stoneman diverged from 
the assigned plan, and in place of meeting Mc- 
Cook's command at Lovejoy Station, he sent a 
small portion of his command under Gen. Gar- 
rard to Flat Rock to cover his movements, and 
then advanced with the others on Macon. His 
conduct was strange, to say the least about it. 
He succeeded in cutting the railroad and in de- 
stroying a considerable amount of rebel supplies 



stoneman's raid. 335 

before getting to Macon, which place he attacked, 
but did not succeed in capturing. The few pris- 
oners who had been confined in the place were 
removed by the rebels when they heard of his 
approach. He made no attempt to move on 
Andersonville, but tarried some time at Macon 
until the rebel cavalry under the command of 
Gen. Iverson threatened his retreat, and finally 
succeeded in surroundinor his command. He 
then held a council of war, and proposed to his 
officers to surrender his command to the enemy. 
His brigade commanders demurred against this, 
and proposed that an attempt be made to cut 
through the enemy's lines and escape. Gen. 
Stoneman then consented that two brigades of 
his command should make an effort to escape, 
while he with his remaininor brio^ade would en- 
deavor to hold the enemy in check. On what 
principles of military tactics he considered that 
one brigade could successfully resist the attack 
of the enemy, when he a few hours before pro- 
posed to surrender his entire command, does not 
appear; but perhaps the gallant General intended 
to ofTer himself as a sacrifice for the purpose of 
letting the most of his command escape, for es- 
cape they almost all did. 

That one brigade succeeded in escaping en- 
tirely demonstrated the fact that the rebel line 
was but a weak one, and could not have pre- 
vented Stoneman from proceeding on his jour- 



336 BATTLE FIELD. AND PRISON PEN. 

ney, much less to surround his command and 
capture it, as he beHeved it would. The second 
brigade was handled pretty roughly, but it too 
succeeded in escaping almost intact to the Union 
army. Gen. Stoneman, after a most desperate 
ficrht, surrendered the balance of his command, 
who were marched into our prison, the crossest 
and saddest crew I ever saw. Gen. McCook's 
command succeeded in carrying out its part of 
the programme, and at Fayetteville he destroyed 
a large amount of rebel supplies, and captured a 
considerable number of prisoners. He then 
moved on Lovejoy Station, at which place he 
arrived at the appointed time. He succeeded in 
destroying the station and a considerable amount 
of supplies, but being attacked by a large force 
of rebels, and hearing nothing from Stoneman's 
command, he was compelled to retreat. He 
moved his command to Newman, where he was 
attacked by a large force of rebel infantry. This 
body of troops were being conveyed by rail from 
Mississippi to reinforce the rebel army at Atlanta, 
and were stopped on their way on account of the 
destruction of the railroad. A fierce engagement 
took place, and McCook was compelled to with- 
draw, losine a considerable number of his men. 
He succeeded, however, in escaping with most 
of his men, and rejoined Sherman's army at 
Marietta. 

The prisoners belonging to these commands 



EFFORTS AT SUICIDE. ' 2>Z7 

had been robbed of everything, as was almost 
always the case with cavalrymen when captured 
by the rebels. We had been informed by some 
newly-arrived prisoners that an effort was being 
made to recapture us; and as we had high hopes 
that it might be successful, we now suffered a 
terrible disappointment in finding out that it was 
an utter failure. Gen. Stoneman was bitterly 
denounced by all, but more especially by his own 
men, who blamed him for their unfortunate con- 
dition, and some of them charged him with 
treason or cowardice. 

The truth of the matter probably is, that he 
overestimated the number of his opponents, and 
so concluded it useless to make the attempt to 
escape. Subsequent events, however, revealed 
the fact that his entire command might have 
escaped had they left with the other two brigades. 

During the night of the 4th we had quite an 
excitement in our part of the prison, from the 
fact that one of our comrades made a desperate 
attempt to destroy himself. He first made an 
attempt to accomplish his object by trying to 
jump into one of the wells, but was prevented by 
a fellow-prisoner, who caught him. The poor 
fellow was no doubt out of his mind; and directly 
after he was taken from the well, he made a des- 
perate attempt to cross the dead-line and let the 
guards shoot him, but was prevented by his com- 
panions. The excitement caused quite a number 
22 



338 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

of prisoners to gather around him, and as his 
crossing the dead-line would endanger the lives 
of some of the rest, it was decided to frighten him 
out of it by making him believe that we intended 
to kill him — thinking that perhaps if he would get 
a taste of death, he would give up the notion of 
self-destruction. We got the old well-rope, and 
Gilbert fastened it around his neck, at the same 
time saying, "All right, if you want to die, we'll 
soon put you out of the way." We then drew 
the rope pretty tight, to see if he would give up 
or not, when, finding that he would not, we com- 
m^enced to pull, and actually slid his body several 
feet along the ground. But he was evidently 
determined to die, and we found that we could 
not frighten him in that way ; so we tied his arms 
and legs tightly, and left him in charge of the 
Regulators. Sometime during the day he pre- 
tended to be very penitent, and begged to be let 
go, saying that he had given up the notion of 
self-destruction, and that he would behave him- 
self. He was then untied and left go. He kept 
quiet for a short time, when he suddenly jumped 
up, and before any one could prevent him, 
jumped over the dead-line, and folding his arms 
across his breast, he looked up at the guard and 
told him to fire. It created a great deal of 
excitement, and several of the men would have 
jumped after him and made an effort to save the 
poor fellow, had not their comrades prevented 



A CRAZY MAN SHOT. 3 ^^9 

them, telling them that they would also be shot 
for their trouble. 

The guard, who was only too willing to comply 
with the crazy man's request, and who no doubt 
rejoiced to get this chance to shoot a *' Yankee," 
raised his rifle to his shoulder, and taking a delib- 
erate aim, pulled the trigger. His gun missed 
fire, and for a moment we stood in terrible sus- 
pense, hoping that he would order the poor 
wretch back, who was standing as immovable as 
a statue, awaiting his doom. But that hope was 
soon dispelled, for the brute, with as little display 
of humanity as if he were preparing to shoot a 
dog, put a fresh cap on his gun, and then taking 
aim, shot him dead. A groan of horror escaped 
from some of the men as the body of their com- 
rade sank in death to the ground ; but accus- 
tomed as we were to seeing death in all of its 
horrible forms, this terrible affair did not make 
the impression on us that the reader might natur- 
ally suppose that it would. In the almost certain 
doom that appeared soon to await us all, the fate 
of our poor comrade was soon almost forgotten. 
The sad expressions heard in connection with it 
revealed the fact that almost all of the prisoners 
were settling down in utter despair. I heard one 
man say, " Oh well, we must all go the same 
road ; it is only a question of time; and after all, 
he took the best way of getting out of his 
trouble." The murdered man was a sergeant in 



340 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

a German regiment, and was a man of education, 
and before his suffering drove him out of his 
mind, was a very companionable sort of a man. 
Close to us two brothers by the name of 
Wallace, in company with two other members 
of their company, quartered. They had suc- 
ceeded in getting several blankets into prison 
with them, and were more comfortably fixed than 
the most of the prisoners. The two brothers 
were intelligent, agreeable young men, and very 
fond of each other. They were well-bred and 
quiet in their demeanor, and belonged to the 
better class of prisoners, who would suffer the 
most keenly from their terrible surroundings. In 
the morning after the affair of the German ser- 
geant, I was informed that one of them had died 
during the night; an4 I went to see them. Some 
of the comrades of the dead prisoner were pre- 
paring to carry him to the Dead House, and it 
was distressino^ to witness the sorfow of the 
brother. He was not demonstrative in his grief, 
but his countenance indicated that he was suffer- 
ing intensely; and when his comrades lifted the 
body of his dead brother to take it away, he 
quietly kissed it, and then lay down with his face 
to the ground, and remained in that position for 
some time. A few days after, he too died, and 
his spirit had joined that of his brother in a better 
land to be united forever. He went up from a 
place of sorrow, to one of eternal rest. 



LONELINESS IN THE PRISON. 34I 

They have met 

' ' beyond the river, 



Where the surges cease to roll ; 
Where in all the bright forever 
Sorrow ne'er shall press the soul." 

For a short time after we had occupied the new 
part of the prison, we had succeeded in keeping 
our corner pretty clean, and the number of 
deaths was not as large as in some parts of the 
prison, but it was now getting to be almost as 
bad as the old part of the prison. A number of 
prisoners from the vicinity of the swamp, in their 
desire to get away from that place, had com- 
menced to move among us ; and as they were all 
in the most horrible condition, some of them 
being compelled to crawl on their hands and 
knees, it greatly added to the unpleasant condi- 
tion of our quarters. 

Close to us on our right was a small piece of 
ground a few feet square, and on this could be 
found almost all the time one of these poor 
beings, who had crawled there to die. They be- 
longed to that class who had no special friends or 
companions, and consequently were the most 
unfortunate class of all in prison. When a few 
who belonged to one company, or became inti- 
mate friends, kept together, and endeavored to 
cheer and help each other, they always got along 
much better than the unfortunates who were 
without friends or close companions. 



342 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

As mentioned before, the prisoners who crept 
to this spot to die belonged to the first-named 
class; and as they were in the most wretched con- 
dition, it of course was very unpleasant to us ; 
but they had no place to go to, and it was cer- 
tainly unkind to ill-treat them, as several German 
Wisconsin soldiers did. These men had their 
quarters close to the spot, and it w^s a source of 
great annoyance to them ; but they displayed a 
w^ant of feeling for their companions that was 
contemptible. They often ordered them away 
when the poor fellows were beyond the power of 
obeying. One who was thus spoken to, asked, 
"Where do you expect me to go to?" "To 
where you came from ; you are too filthy to be 
here," was the brutal reply. The dying man told 
them that he would not trouble them long; and 
so it proved, for on the following morning he was 
carried to the Dead House. 

On another occasion, a soldier belonging to a 
Maryland regiment crawled to this spot to die. 
He was a mere boy, and his emaciated body and 
pain-pinched face did not altogether hide the fact 
that he had been remarkably handsome ; and not 
only his physiognomy, but his conduct, gave 
strong indication of a pure moral character. Be- 
ing very sick, and unable to keep himself clean, 
he of course was very filthy; and his general 
appearance was in strange contrast to his gentle, 
pure-looking face. One of these Wisconsin sol- 



DYING OF DESPAIR. 343 

diers, who, as Gilbert expressed it, had as little 
humanity as the rebels, ordered him to move 
away ; and weak as he was, he would have made 
an effort to do so, had some of us not interfered 
and told him to stay. His look of gratitude was 
surely enough to compensate for the short time 
we were annoyed by his presence. A few hours 
after, as gently and quietly as falls the autumn 
leaf, his pure spirit left his tortured body, and 
winged its way to a better land. 

"Matted and damp are the curls of gold, 

Kissing the snow of the fair young brow, 
Pale are the lips of delicate mould — 

Somebody's darling is dying now. 
Back from the beautiful blue-veined brow, 

Brush all the wandering waves of gold ; 
Cross his hands on his bosom now — 

Somebody's darling is still and cold." 

Some of the prisoners died so suddenly that 
we could hardly realize that they had passed 
away. They appeared to be as well as the rest 
of us up to within a few hours of their departure, 
when they would expire, sometimes without a 
groan. The hope of getting out had no doubt 
kept them up until almost every spark of life had 
left them, and death was creeping upon them in 
such a manner that they did not know that they 
were dying, and then, when they would finally 
give up hope, death was sure and sudden. An 
Irish soldier died in this manner close to us, on 



344 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

the day the Maryland boy died. He and an 
Englishman kept close together, and were evi- 
dently intimate friends. On the day he died we 
received molasses instead of meat, and the Eng- 
lishman was offering his friend his portion and 
urging him to eat ; but finding that he made no 
effort to take it, he sat down and rested his 
friend's head on his lap. He, however, soon 
after aeain commenced to urcre him to eat his 
rations, holding the molasses to his lips and tell- 
ing him to take it, saying it would do him good. 
Sergeant Bradbury and myself were passing 
them at the time, and noticing the deathly ap- 
pearance of the sick man, we went close up to 
them, and Bradbury told the, Englishman that his 
friend was dying, to which he replied, '' Oh, I 
guess not," but immediately made an effort to 
lay him down. He died, however, before he could 
do so. 

Thus we saw men dying every day, and the 
conviction was fast stealing upon us that we all 
would have to, perish. The terrible condition of 
the prison, the large number of dying, and failure 
of the expedition sent to recapture us, had so set- 
tled the inmates of the prison in gloom and de- 
spair that even the little gatherings in different 
parts of the prison were given up. On the 7th, 
the rebel quartermaster came into the prison and 
informed us that Gen. Winder had received a 
dispatch from the rebel authorities at Richmond, 



CRUEL DECEPTIONS. 345 

informing him that he was to commence paroling 
us at once. This at first created a Httle excite- 
ment, and a hope that our day of deliverance was 
nigh ; but it did not last long, for it soon proved 
to be another rebel lie. We had been deceived 
so often that we could hardly believe anything 
our jailers told us; but this last story was so well 
got up that it deceived some of us for a day or 
two, and the fact of it being another deception 
only sunk us deeper in despair. 

On the 7th, 8th and 9th, the weather was so 
awfully hot that it really appeared as if the heat 
would kill us all ; those were the most terrible 
days in the history of our prison. On the 9th, 
one hundred and seventy-five prisoners died, and 
the mortality in the three days was nearly five 
hundred. I have not the least doubt that had 
not a kind Providence interfered and sent the 
great rain-storm on the 9th, death would have 
swept all of us away inside of sixty days. This 
may be considered a wild estimate by those who 
have never experienced prison-life in the South, 
but I feel sure that at least those who remember 
Andersonville as it was at that time will not con- 
sider this is an unlikely statement. The terrible 
condition of the water we were compelled to 
drink, the fearful stench arising from the putrid 
filth that now covered the entire camp, was 
enough of itself to sweep the prison of every 
living thing. 



346 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Directly after noon on the 9th, the rain-storm 
already spoken of commenced, and this event 
will be remembered by those who witnessed it as 
long as their memory lasts. The large ink-black 
clouds approaching from the West, the constant 
vivid flashes of lightning, and sharp, quick claps 
of thunder, which reminded us of a heavy can- 
nonade, all indicated that a fearful storm was 
approaching, and we watched its approach with a 
great deal of interest and anxiety. It was not 
pleasant in our unsheltered condition to be ex- 
posed to such a terrible storm as this threatened 
to be, but then we needed a heavy rain so badly 
that we were rather glad to see its approach. It 
soon burst over us with a fury that was appalling, 
and the rain poured down as if all the flood-gates 
of the heavens had opened. The deluge of water, 
the terrific flashes of lightning, the crashes of 
thunder and roaring of the storm, made a scene 
awful and grand; and it seemed as if all the 
elements of heaven were combining to set us 
free. The lightning struck into the stockade, 
and several times into the trees that surrounded 
our prison in rapid succession, and the prisoners 
to shut out the terrible sight sat down on the 
ground and covered their faces with their hands. 
Consequently we did not notice that the small 
stream through our prison had become a raging 
torrent, and was threatening to sweep away part 
of the stockade, when the boom of a cannon from 



THE TERRIBLE STORM. 347 

one of the forts announced the fact that the rebels 
were alarmed about something, and getting on 
our feet we discovered that the stockade was 
being swept away at both sides of the prison. 
The greatest excitement now existed among the 
rebels, who were falling into line, and marching 
to the place where the break in the stockade had 
occurred, for the purpose of preventing us from 
making our escape. 

Although the storm was still raging with great 
fury, and the rain pouring down in torrents, we 
commenced to crowd toward the stream, hoping 
some chance of escaping would present itself. 
The rebels had, however, formed a strong line to 
prevent this ; but it was some satisfaction to us to 
know that our enemies had to leave their snug 
quarters and be exposed to the storm as well as 
we. After the storm subsided, some of the pris- 
oners jumped into the still raging stream, and 
caught some of the wood floating down ; but 
Wirz, with the devilish cruelty so characteristic of 
the man, ordered them not to use it, threatening 
that if we did he would stop our rations for five 
days. No rations were issued on this day, and 
hungry and wet, we passed a most miserable 
night. Whether Wirz did this from a desire to 
show us that he was in earnest about stopping 
our rations for five days if we used the wood, or 
from a desire to take the spite out of us for the 
trouble the elements had made for him, we could 



348 BATFLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

not tell, but one or the other must have been the 
cause for it ; probably the latter, for the captain 
was in a terrible rage with every one until the 
break was fixed. 

The rebels worked like beavers all night and 
the following day, to replace the stockade washed 
away. It was also weakened at different places, 
and a large number of blacks were sent inside of 
the prison to fix and strengthen it. These poor 
people were very friendly to us, and would watch 
every opportunity to show their sympathy in 
some substantial manner. They would keep a 
close watch on the guards, and at every oppor- 
tunity slip to the prisoners tobacco or some arti- 
cles of food. A squad of these people were at 
work close to us, and we were watching them 
working, when one of them suddenly slipped his 
hand in his pocket, and taking out a piece of 
tobacco, flung it to us ; the next instant he had 
resumed his work. This was repeated several 
times by the generous fellow,- who had no doubt 
amply supplied himself with the weed for the 
purpose of sharing it out to us. He was, how- 
ever, at last caught in the act, and a stop put to 
it. As he threw the last piece the guard saw the 
action, and yelled out, " Look out thar, or I will 
blow your brains out!" The poor fellow was 
almost frightened to death ; but the guard no 
doubt only intended to give him a good scare. 

On the loth, the day after the great flood, it 



PROVIDENTIAL SPRING. 349 

was very warm until noon, when it again rained 
until night. The next morning it was clear, cool 
and pleasant, and we had a chance to dry off 
and look around and see what the storm had 
done for us; and we found that it had indeed 
worked for our good. It had undoubtedly hast- 
ened the death of the very sickest men, but it 
had immensely bettered the condition of those 
who were still living. The entire prison, includ- 
ing the swamp, was swept in such a manner as to 
be quite clean compared to its former condition. 
Almost all the filth and vermin on the ground 
was swept away, and the atmosphere was quite 
pure, and in strange contrast to its terrible con- 
dition a few days before. 

This was not the only great blessing the storm 
had conferred on us, and which was to greatly 
improve the condition of our prison ; for it was 
soon discovered that a strong, pure spring of 
water had burst out right beneath the dead-line, 
alongside of the hill, and about one hundred feet 
from the brook. The water was cool and pure, 
and was in great contrast to the filthy stuff we 
had been using. The rebels, perhaps awe- 
stricken at this providential interference with 
their plans to destroy us, made a trough so that 
we could better get the water, and the rush soon 
became so great to get to this life-giving stream, 
that the Regulators to preserve order made the 
men who were crowding up to get water fall 



350 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

into line and take their turn to receive it. A 
long line of prisoners could be seen continually 
going and coming from this place, and for the 
remainder of our prison-life in Andersonville we 
had at least this one great blessing, pure water. 
If an all-wise Providence guides the destiny of 
nations and protects God's people, who can 
doubt but that this spring was sent by the Giver 
of all good for the purpose of bettering the con- 
dition of the inmates of our prison? 

''At his command the lurid lightning flies, 
Shakes the firm globe, and fires the vaulted skies." 

On the nth, John Robinson, one of my near 
comrades, passed away. He was a member of 
the Ninety-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and 
quite an old man. It was often a matter of sur- 
prise to me as to how he succeeded in getting 
into the army, as he certainly could not have 
been less than fifty-five years of age. He had 
been ailing for some time, but considering his age 
he had kept up wonderfully well to within about 
a week of his death, when the terribly warm 
weather we had just before the great storm broke 
him down completely, and he fell one more victim 
to rebel brutality. Had this old man been fur- 
nished with such shelter as any human being 
under the circumstances might have reasonably 
expected, he would in all probabiHty have Uved to 
return to his friends ; for his death was the result 



WORDS OF CHEER. 35 1 

of his exposed condition. He possessed a great 
deal of vitality, and his death was one of the 
most lingering and wretched I witnessed in all of 
our imprisonment. We had all been as kind and 
attentive to the old man as we under the circum- 
stances could be, and in every way endeavored 
to keep him from giving up hope. Life in our 
abode had tauo^ht us before this that to become 
despondent and give up in despair was a short 
but sure road to the Dead House, and those 
who could put on the boldest face would be the 
least likely to go there. 

When we found that he was losing hope, we 
would gather around him and try to cheer him 
up by relating to him all the runiors we had 
heard about being exchanged, and tell him we 
had the strongest hopes of soon being sent home. 
It would always greatly enliven him, and some- 
times his countenance would beam with pleasure 
at the renewed hope of soon meeting his wife 
and children again. Sergeant Bradbury, a mem- 
ber of Robinson's company, who had the happy 
and fortunate felicity of being able, under all cir- 
cumstances, of looking on the bright side of life, 
and who I believe did more to keep up the spirits 
of his fellow-prisoners than any other man in 
prison, took a very great interest in his old com- 
rade ; and as he had a strong influence over him, 
he no doubt was the means of keeping him from 
giving up and dying before he did. The condition 



352 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

of our prison, and the intense heat in the early 
part of the month, were too severe on him, and it 
became evident to us that he could not much 
lono-er endure his sufferinors. The sun had burnt 
his hands, feet and neck into blisters ; and to add 
to his misery, his eyes commenced to fail so badly 
that he could not protect himself from the vermin 
that like a plague infested the prison, and his 
condition became wretched and miserable in the 
extreme. Sergeant Bradbury suggested that it 
might help the old man if we would trim his hair 
and give him a good washing, and requested me 
to help to do it. The old man gladly consented, 
and procuring the loan of a pair of scissors from 
one of the ' prisoners, we trimmed his hair and 
beard quite short, and then gave him a good 
washing. This appeared to help him a little for 
a day or two, but it soon became evident that his 
stay with us would be short. 

On the forenoon of the 9th, and just before the 
great storm came up, he was standing near the 
dead-line, and I saw that he was trembling and 
keeping his feet with a great deal of difficulty. I 
was in the act of walking up to him when he fell 
on the dead-line, exclaiming, " Oh, Urban, help 
me!" I sprang forward and caught him, and with 
the assistance of several of the men who had gath- 
ered around, laid him down. He appeared to be 
so nearly gone that we expected him to expire in 
a few moments ; but he lived for two days longer, 



HORRORS OF THE DEAD HOUSE. 353 

and durine the terrible storm and rain which fol- 
lowed, he was lying on the ground in a condition 
so wretched and miserable that it was a great 
relief to us when we found that his spirit had left 
the tortured body, and was at rest. It was a sad 
sight for us to look upon the dead body of this 
old man, and to think of his death so far away 
from his wife and children, who, unconscious of 
his sad fate, were still waiting and hoping for his 
safe return ; but we could not help but think how 
great and happy the exchange was for him. His 
poor, emaciated, pain-racked form was with us, 
but his immortal spirit had fled to that " bourne 
from whence no traveler e'er returns," and where 
pain and sorrow could not reach him again. 

Four of us carried him to the Dead House. 
When we reached that place we found eighty 
lying in a row, who had already during the day 
been carried out for burial. It would be impossi- 
ble to describe the horrible appearance of these 
victims of rebel cruelty ; some of the bodies 
appeared as if they would fall to pieces, and the 
stench was so sickening that we as quickly as 
possible discharged our duty, and hastened away 
from the place. Our guard consented to our 
request to take some wood with us back into 
prison, and also gave us the privilege of sitting 
down on the way going in for a rest, and to enjoy 
the pure air for a short time. 

This was the first time since my imprisonment 



354 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

in Andersonville that I had been In the woods, 
and oh! how I longed that I might not have to 
return to the prison-pen again. The trees with 
their cool, inviting shade, that would have so 
mercifully protected us from the hot, sultry sun 
by day and the dew by night — the beautiful 
flowers that looked so sweet and pure compared 
with our filthy surroundings in the prison — the 
birds singing in blissful glee around and over us 
— all these beautiful things in nature under difler- 
ent circumstances we might have enjoyed and 
admired; but now they only reminded us of our 
miserable condition, and made our hearts ache 
for the freedom we had so long hoped and 
prayed for. We could not help but wonder what 
chance there might be of escaping, could we over- 
power the guard that was with us ; but the 
chances would have been slim, as rebel soldiers 
could be seen prowling around in every direction, 
and even could we have succeeded in getting 
away from them, the dreaded bloodhounds would 
soon have been on our track, and recapture or 
death almost a certainty. 

We did not, however, have much time to con- 
template either the beauties of nature or the 
chances of escape, for our guard after a short 
rest informed us that he would have to return 
with us to the prison, and that he had already 
indulged us longer than might be good for him- 
self. We had, however, the satisfaction of hav- 



HEAT AND HUNGER. 355 

ing secured quite a load of wood, and as we were 
at this time receiving most of our rations raw, 
and often had no fuel at all, we felt quite fortu- 
nate in having secured this supply. 

Early on the following day, Pond and French, 
two more of our comrades, passed away, and 
later in the day a comrade whose full name I do 
not remember, but who was known by the name 
of " Straney," also died. 

Thus day after day we saw our comrades 
dying all around us, and we could not help but 
feel that if deliverance did not soon come, it 
would only be a short time before we would all 
perish. 

On Sunday and Monday following, the weather 
was again most fearfully warm, and the number 
of deaths from the effects of the heat was very 
great. The total number of deaths on Sunday 
was 119, and on Monday 136. It was well in- 
deed that the great flood had swept the greater 
part of the filth from the prison; for had the 
former condition of the prison remained, with the 
intense heat which prevailed all of the month, we 
all would certainly have perished. It was also 
most fortunate that we now at least had plenty 
of pure cold water, for our rations were so small 
that it appeared as if we would certainly all have 
to starve outright. Our daily rations often con- 
sisted of only one pint of corn-meal and a few 
raw beans ; and as we often had to prepare this 



356 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

without salt, the reader can imagine how pala- 
table it was. I felt the need of having this last- 
named article so much, that I came to the conclu- 
sion to make an effort to trade off my jacket for 
some of it. It was quite new when I was cap- 
tured, and was still in pretty good condition, 
and I knew how much I would need it should I 
be so unfortunate as to be a prisoner during the 
fall and winter; but my present necessities were 
so great that I came to the conclusion to let it go. 
I also thought that if I was not released before 
that time I would not live to need it. After look- 
ing around a little, I finally struck up a trade 
with a guard, and received a pint of salt in 
exchanofe for it. 

During the later part of the month, a consider- 
able number of prisoners arrived from the Army 
of the Potomac and Sherman's forces, and we 
received plenty of news. Although it was, in 
some respects, not such as we had hoped to hear, 
yet taking it all together, they gave a cheerful 
account of the situation ; and they also claimed 
to have positive information that we would soon 
be exchanged or paroled, and in spite of the fact 
that we had been fooled so often, we felt quite 
cheered up, and had a renewed hope that our 
day of deliverance was not far off. 

On the I St of September we had a very disa- 
greeable change in the weather, and consequently 
the mortality again increased fearfully. The 



THE PRISON HOSPITAL. 357 

days were terribly hot, and the nights so cold that 
we shivered in agony. I bitterly regretted part- 
ing with any of my clothing, and I found to my 
dismay that I was going to be sick. I could now 
more than ever realize the unfortunate condition 
of some of the prisoners who had no friends or 
comrades to take care of them ; for had I been in 
that condition, surely death would have been my 
fate. Attended by my comrades to the best of 
their ability, and the rumors that now so posi- 
tively indicated that we would soon be released, 
kept me up, and in a few days I was better again. 
The sergeant who had charcye of the detachment 
I belonged to suggested that I be sent to the hos- 
pital ; but as I had never heard of any one who 
had been sent to that place leaving it alive, I 
came to the conclusion that if I had to die, I 
would do so surrounded by my comrades. 

This so-called hospital was situated a few hun- 
dred feet from the entrance into the prison, and 
was inclosed with a hiQ-h board fence. It was 
pleasantly located, and had a few shade trees 
standing inside of it ; but few of the prisoners 
would, however, enter it voluntarily during the 
latter part of our imprisonment, for the impression 
among them was general that once in that place, 
death was certain. So, when taken sick, they 
preferred to stay and die with their comrades. 
The consequence was, that most of those who 
did get there were already in a very low condi- 



358 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

tion, and with the terrible treatment they had no 
chance of recovery. There can be no doubt, 
however, but that with proper care and attention 
some of them at least might have been restored 
to health ; but what single condition was there in 
this horrible place that would have a tendency to 
do this ? Their emaciated bodies had nothing: to 
rest on but the hard ground ; very little shelter 
was furnished, and the food was of such a de- 
scription that it did more to aggravate and in- 
crease the diseases that afflicted them, than to 
strengthen and nourish. This, with the utter 
want of medicine and such care as sick people 
require, all combined to make death a certainty. 

I do not consider it necessary, however, to give 
a long description of this spot ; but to give the 
reader a proper conception of the place, I will 
give an extract from the testimony of Dr. Bates, 
a physician from the state of Georgia, and em- 
ployed by the Rebel Government at the hospital. 
He said : " I saw a number of men, and was 
shocked : many of them were lying partially 
naked, dirty, and lousy, in the sand ; others were 
crowded together in small tents, the latter unser- 
viceable at the best. I felt disposed to do my 
duty, and aid the sufferers all I could ; but know- 
ing it was against the orders to take anything to 
the men, I was obliged to slip whatever I took to 
them very slyly Into my pockets. They fre- 
quently asked me for a teaspoonful of salt, or for 



LONGING FOR HOME. 359 

orders of siftlngs of meal, that they might make 
a little bread. Again, they have gathered around 
me and asked for a bone ! I found persons," he 
continues, " lying dead among the living some- 
times, and thinking they merely slept, I have 
tried to wake them up, and found they were tak- 
ing their everlasting sleep. This was in the hos- 
pital, but I judge it was about the same in the 
stockade." 

These poor, wretched creatures, who, with 
trembling limbs and pain-racked bodies, that had 
been reduced by the terrible agony they had en- 
dured until they were almost beyond the sem- 
blance of human beings, covered with filth and 
vermin, were the ones that begged of their de- 
stroyers for a bone, a drop of water, or something 
to relieve their terrible sufferings. Thesfe men 
were no exiles for crime ; they had left home 
moved by a sublime inspiration to help save the 
life and honor of the Nation. Many of them had 
been tenderly reared, and had fond, doting moth- 
ers in Northern homes, who had given them up 
to the service of the country with a patriotic 
devotion equal to the ancient Spartan mothers, 
and who were at this time hoping and praying for 
their safe return. Others had fond wives and 
affectionate children, in pleasant and peaceful 
homes, and oh! who can tell the utter misery and 
despair of these dying men, when they remem- 
bered their awful condition, and how they must 



360 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

have wished and prayed to be at home again ? 
It was a frequent occurrence to hear them ex- 
claim, *' Oh, If I could only die at home, and after 
seeing my friends again ! " It Is hard to part In 
death with loved ones at home, when surrounded 
with all that love and kindness can do to smooth 
the way over the dark river ; but to die like an 
outcast, yea, like a dog, was bitter and terrible 
indeed. But who can doubt that the great and 
merciful God, who has declared that without His 
notice " no sparrow shall fall to the ground," In 
his all-merciful Providence prepared the way for 
these poor, dying ones, soothed their sorrow, 
quieted their fears, and at last received them to 
himself In heaven ? 

On the 4th of the month, eighty-three pris- 
oners came in, and they had a lot of good news ; 
among it that we were now positively to be sent 
to our lines in the course of a few days. On the 
following day the air was full of all kinds of 
rumors in regard to an exchange, and a report 
also reached us that Atlanta had fallen. The 
prison was In a great bustle of excitement, and 
presented a more cheerful appearance than it 
had lor some time, and all were anxiously dis- 
cussing the probable truth of the good news. 
On the 6th, the rumors commenced to take a 
more definite shape, as an order came Into prison 
that a number of detachments were to be ready 
to leave the prison : and on the following day six 



TRANSFER OF PRISONERS. 361 

detachments, or about 2,000 men, left, as we be- 
lieved, for our lines. Everything was now in a 
terrible state of excitement, and all but the poor 
unfortunates who were too far gone to hope to 
get away, were talking over the good news and 
of the prospect of getting into " God's land," as 
the boys expressed it, again. 

It was pitiful to see the poor sick, who could 
not expect to go along. We tried to cheer them 
by telling them that they would no doubt all be 
taken as soon as the rebels could get transporta- 
tion, but we felt that the hope for them was in- 
deed small. On the following day, a large num- 
ber more left; and, although we were not of the 
number, we felt confident that our time would 
soon come, so we tried to keep up our patience 
and as calmly as possible wait for our turn. On 
the 9th, loth, nth and 12th, the transfer of pris- 
oners continued, and our prison was thinning out 
rapidly, the opposite side of the pen being quite 
deserted. On the i ^th, our detachment was or- 
dered to fall into line. We soon had our little 
property gathered together, and bidding our com- 
rades an affectionate farewell, fell into line and 
marched to the south gate, where we halted for 
further orders. We waited anxiously during the 
night for the gate to open, but in the morning we 
were informed that the last train that had left 
before us had run off the track, and that a large 
number of men had been killed and wounded. 



362 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

On the following day we received the unwelcome 
news that we could not leave for a few days, as 
the prisoners who belonged to Sherman's army 
were to be sent away first. 

All kinds of rumors were now afloat, one being 
that a portion of Sherman's army was within a 
a short distance of our prison, and that we would 
in all probability fall into their hands. This some- 
what broke our disappointment in not getting 
away, as we wished that if the prison would fall 
into the Union army's hands, we might be kept 
back to witness it, as then there would have been 
a certainty of our being released. We could not 
feel quite a certainty of it being the case if we 
were sent away ; and then again, we felt a little 
as if we would like to have a chance to revenge 
ourselves on our jailers. Had our prison been 
captured, and Wirz fallen into our hands, it is not 
likely that the Government would have had any 
expense in trying and hanging him. 

On the 17th, thirty men belonging to Sher- 
man's army left, as we were told, for that army, 
and on the following day eleven hundred more 
were ordered to be ready to move on the next 
morning. 1 came to the conclusion to write a 
letter home, and gave it to one of these men with 
the request that he would have it forwarded as 
soon as he should get into our lines. The ship- 
ping of prisoners now stopped again for a few 
days, and we commenced to fear that we might 



OUT AT LAST. 363 

after all be doomed to a longer stay in our 
miserable prison; but the guards assured us that 
we would all be sent away just as soon as they 
could get transportation. 

A very disagreeable rumor now reached us 
that the rebels had built a large prison-pen for 
us at some other place, and that we would all be 
gathered together and put into it — in short, that 
it was to contain all the Union prisoners in the 
hands of the enemy, and was situated in such a 
place that there would be no prospect of our 
troops ever capturing it. We did not pay much 
attention to the last part of the story, as we did 
not believe that with the successes attendinof the 
Union forces, the enemy could have any part of 
the Confederacy long; but we did dread the pros- 
pect of again being disappointed in our hopes of 
being exchanged, and looked forward with dis- 
may to again entering another prison, even if it 
was to be but for a short time. 

On the 27th, three more detachments left, and 
on the following day we were again ordered to 
fall into line to leave. This time our expecta- 
tions were realized, as far at least as leaving the 
prison was concerned, and the gates were at last 
thrown open, and we marched out with the ear- 
nest prayer that we might never get to see it 
again. As we marched to the station, we could 
not help shuddering at the remembrance of the 
terrible misery we had endured and the horrible 



364 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

sights we had witnessed since we had entered that 
miserable place. With all our joy at the prospects 
of getting away, we remembered with sorrow the 
many dear comrades who had so miserably per- 
ished, and we shuddered at the thought of our 
narrow escape. And even now, when assured 
over and over that we were going home, our 
minds were filled with fear and distrust that it 
might not be true, and that after all we would 
have to enter some horrible prison again. 

We reached the station at about the time the 
shades of nieht had closed over us, and were 
drawn up in line along the side of the train that 
was to take us away. In this position we stood a 
few minutes before entering the cars, and Gilbert, 
who was one of the prisoners who did not have 
much faith in the truth of the report of our being 
sent to our lines, proposed to me that we make 
an attempt to escape. His plan was to wait until 
the order was griven to eet on board, when in the 
excitement and confusion of the moment we 
would slip under the car, lie down, and stay in 
that position until the train had moved off. The 
idea at first appeared to me to be a good one, 
and I agreed to make the effort; but after consid- 
ering the matter for a moment, I remembered 
seeino- the trains back for a short distance before 

o 

leaving the station, and I reminded Gilbert of it. 
" Sure enough," he exclaimed, " it will never do ; 
if they back the engine over us we will be 



THE "BULL-PEN AT SAVANNAH. 365 

crushed." So we gave up the plan, and entered 
the cars with the rest. The train, however, 
moved off without backing, and we were sorry a 
great many times after that we did not make the 
attempt. We would probably have succeeded in 
getting away from the train, but it would have 
been a hard matter to get away from the station, 
as some prowling rebels no doubt would have 
discovered us. 

We arrived at Macon at about lo o'clock, at 
which place we stayed until three in the morning, 
when we left for Savannah, Georgia. We arrived 
at that place at about 6 o'clock on the following 
evening. During the night we were placed 
under a stronof oruard, and marched throuoh the 
city to a prison-pen a short distance from it. 
When we saw the " bull-pen," as some of the 
boys called it, we fully understood that the ex- 
change was all a humbug; and the indignation of 
the men who believed that we would be sent to 
our lines knew no bounds. The most of us had, 
however, about come to the conclusion that such 
was to be our fate, so we were to some extent 
prepared for it ; but as we marched through the 
gates and they were closed upon us, our feelings 
were not of the most amiable kind. 

On the following day we had frequent showers 
of rain, and as I had a terrible headache, no 
doubt the result of the nervous excitement I had 
passed through for the last few days, I had a most 



2,66 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

miserable day of it. In the evening I, however, 
made an examination of our new prison, and 
found it at least a little better than the one we 
had left. We had also succeeded before leaving 
Andersonville in gathering up quite a number of 
pieces of old blankets and rags, which we had 
tied together in a bundle, and for fear something 
of this kind might happen, had brought them 
along with us. They became quite a comfort to 
us, and dirty and filthy as they were, they proved 
a most valuable addition to our stock, and helped 
much to enable us to endure the remaining part 
of our imprisonment. 

Some of the prisoners in leaving Andersonville 
felt so confident of going home that they left their 
rags behind, and I have often thought that it was 
more than probable that our forethought in gath- 
ering them up saved our lives. We could cover 
the ground for a bed with part of them, and with 
the best, and Gilbert's old blanket, form a pretty 
good cover. 

Our rations on the first day after our arrival at 
this place were quite slim, but on the second we 
received the best ration we had received since 
our capture. It consisted of one-half pint of 
good corn-meal, one-half pint of boiled rice, one- 
fourth pound beef, salt, molasses, and what was 
quite as welcome as any, a small piece of soap. 
The food was, of course, only what a hungry 
man would eat at one meal, but then it was clean 



ONE MEAL A DAY. 367 

and wholesome, and I felt quite refreshed after 
devouring it. I had intended dividing it into two 
meals, but it tasted so good I could not stop 
until I had finished it all. I had a ofood wash 

o 

with the soap, and made the following entry in 
my diary: ''Washed with soap for the first time 
in four months." 

This prison-pen compared to some of the 
others in the South was small, and contained only 
a few thousand men. The most of the prisoners 
who had left Andersonville before us had been 
sent to Millen, Charleston and Florence prisons. 
It was fortunate for us indeed that we succeeded 
in getting a little shelter, for in the early part 
of the month we had a long rainy spell and 
several severe thunder-storms. On the 2d, 3d, 
4th, 5th and 6th, it rained almost all the time. 
Our food, however, continued to be good; and, 
although only in such quantities as to make one 
meal per day, we could get along with it right 
well, and it was heartily enjoyed. 

On the 3d, some Union citizens smuggled into 
our prison copies of the Savannah Republican 
and Augusta Senti7zel, which gave a description 
of the defeat of the rebel army under Gen. 
Early by Gen. Phil Sheridan, at Winchester. 
These papers acknowledged that it was a great 
disaster to the rebel party, and spoke in the bit- 
terest terms of Gen. Early, whom they declared 
to be incompetent, and as having been drunk 



368 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

during the battle. It was most glorious news to 
us, and gave us a renewed hope that the war 
would soon be over, and we would be enabled to 
go to our homes. 

We soon found out that the city contained 
quite a strong Union element, and also that the 
people appeared to have more regard for us than 
in any place we had yet been in the South; and I 
have no doubt but that if the rebel officers who 
had charge of us would have let the inhabitants 
of the city do so, we would have met with treat- 
ment such as prisoners of war are entitled to. 

On the 7th the weather again changed, and 
commenced to get cool; and on Saturday and 
Sunday it was quite cold and disagreeable. All 
day during Sunday we were compelled to move 
around to keep from getting too cold, and by 
evening we fully realized the fact that we would 
be sure to have a most miserable night of it. 
We now found how fortunate it was for us that 
we had gathered up the rags before leaving 
Andersonville ; for I really believe we would have 
perished before morning if we had not had 
them to protect us during the night. In the 
early part of the evening we tried to keep warm 
by walking around in a ring and stamping our 
feet on the ground, but we soon found that we 
did not have strength enough to keep that up 
very long ; so we came to the conclusion to lie 
down and sleep, and take our chances of living 



COLD, DISEASE, AND DEATH. 369 

until morning. Making the best disposition of 
our bedding, we nestled together as close as we 
could, and tried to sleep. After shaking and 
shivering for several hours, we at last fell asleep, 
and slept part of the night ; but it was one of the 
most miserable nights I have ever lived through, 
and I sincerely wished I might never see the like 
again. In the morning we were quite stiff, and 
could hardly get up ; but fortunately the wind had 
fallen, and the sun came up bright and warm, 
and under the influence of its welcome rays we 
soon commenced to feel more comfortable. We 
were shocked to see, however, the large number 
that had died durinor the niorht, more than a 
dozen dead bodies lying close around us, and 
the mortality all over the prison was very great. 
The yellow fever was raging in the city, and had 
also made its appearance in the prison ; and it was 
said that this cold spell was a blessing, as it helped 
check the disease. 

The appearance of this dreaded disease had 
greatly alarmed us, and we received with joy the 
news that we were to be taken away for ex- 
change. We did not place any confidence in the 
part of the story relating to an exchange; but the 
dread of taking yellow fever was so great that we 
felt glad to leave. Had it not been for this, we 
would have left this place for another pen with 
considerable reluctance, as we could not hope to 
better our condition, and feared another Ander- 
24 



370 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

sonville was in store for us. Almost every day 
we had experienced some acts of good-will from 
the citizens of the town, and food, clothing, and 
even money, were smuggled into prison. 

We left Savannah directly after noon on the 
1 2th of October, and marched to the depot, 
where we were again loaded on the cars, but did 
not leave until eveningf. Durinof the march from 
the pen to the railroad I witnessed one of the 
most brutal sights I had ever seen, and one that 
filled us all with the greatest indignation. Some 
of the sick could not keep up with the column, 
and a rebel officer, who I think was Lieutenant 
Davis, came on behind, and with a large stick or 
club of wood, commenced to beat the lingering 
men in a most brutal manner over the head and 
shoulders, in several cases knockins: them down 
with such violence that they could not get up. A 
number of citizens who witnessed the brutal act, 
and even a few of his own men, commenced to 
cry "Shame!" and the cowardly scoundrel, intim- 
idated I suppose by them, stopped his beating, 
but kept cursing us until we were loaded in the 
cars. 

A large crowd had gathered around the train, 
and we soon found that the blacks, and also a 
considerable number of the whites, sympathized 
with us ; and had the brutal officer who had 
charge of the train let the people help us, we 
would have received substantial aid before we 



WOMANLY NOBILITY. 371 

left the city. Just before our departure a beau- 
tiful lady, accompanied by a black woman, who 
was carrying a large bundle of clothing, came to 
the car for the purpose of giving it to the prison- 
ers. The brutal, pompous officer mentioned be- 
fore, came riding up to put a stop to it. The lady 
seeing the officer approaching, and knowing she 
would not have time to distribute the clothing, 
ordered her servant to throw them into one of 
the cars. The colored woman trembled with fear, 
and appeared to be in doubt as to what to do — no 
doubt wishing to obey her mistress, and yet too 
much afraid of the rebel officer to do so — when the 
lady seized the bundle and threw it into the cars. 
The enraeed officer called on one of his men to 
fire on the determined woman; but the guard 
made no effort to obey the brutal order, and the 
noble woman, who was as cool and collected as if 
in her reception-room at home, gave the officer a 
look of contempt and defiance, which said as plain 
as words, ''Fire if you dare!" and walked away, 
followed by more than one earnest prayer that 
God would bless and reward her for her noble 
generosity. 

We left Savannah, going westward, late in the 
evening, and the fact that we were going away 
from the sea-coast gave us satisfactory proof that 
we were destined for another prison-pen, and 
that our day of deliverance had not yet arrived. 
The rebels had as usual loaded us in common 



2i*]2 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

box cars, with a guard stationed at each door, 
and also four or five of them on the top of each 
car. Some time during the night the one at the 
door shut it, and then crept up on top to his com- 
rades. He had hardly more than done so when 
some of the boys conceived the plan of making 
an attempt to escape. They carefully com- 
menced to open the door, shoving it a few inches 
at a time, until finally, when they had pushed it 
open wide enough, they began to jump out. The 
night was pitch dark, and as the train was run- 
ning probably at the rate of twenty-five or thirty 
miles an hour, it was, of course, extremely dan- 
gerous to jump, as the one doing so did not 
know whether he would alight in water, or tumble 
over some steep embankment; but we were so 
anxious to obtain our freedom that we did not 
stop to consider the chances of being killed in the 
attempt to get it. Unfortunately the boys were 
all too anxious and impatient for the first chance, 
and made too much noise, which disclosed what 
was going on to the rebel guards. Only the 
third man had jumped from the train when the 
rebels discovered the movement, and the sharp 
reports of several rifles and the quick shutting of 
the door put an end to the business. 

Two days after our arrival at Millen, two of 
the three men were brought into prison : the 
other one was never heard of. One of them 
gave me quite an amusing account of his adven- 



HUNTED BY BLOODHOUNDS. 373 

ture. He was the first one to jump from the 
train, and it so happened that at the place he 
jumped there was a high railroad embankment, 
and down this he tumbled head over heels and 
heels over head, until he reached the bottom with 
a thump which nearly knocked the breath out 
of him. Finding, however, that he was not much 
hurt, he made off He had proceeded but a 
short distance when he came to a large sweet- 
potato patch, and, after digging out as many as 
he could eat, he moved on until daylight, when 
he hid himself in a wood. Sometime in the after- 
noon he discovered that he was being pursued 
by bloodhounds; and now, thoroughly alarmed, he 
made off He had proceeded but a short dis- 
tance, when he discovered that it was useless for 
him to try to get away, so he climbed .on a tree 
and waited for the appearance of his pursuers. 
The dogs soon reached his hiding-place, and 
directly after their owners, who were mounted. 
They commanded him to come down, and he 
obeyed, not knowing what was in store for him. 

He had, however, fallen into better hands than 
he had expected, and they treated him kindly. 
On the way going to the railroad station, from 
where he was sent to prison, they let him dig up 
as many sweet-potatoes as he could carry; and 
when he came into prison he had a string tied 
around his pantaloons and his shirt filled with 
them, giving him the look of a " stuffed Paddy." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

MILLEN PRISON. 

IT/'E arrived at Millen, a station on the Georgia 
Central Railroad, early in the morning of the 
13th of October, and in a few hours after our 
arrival we were taken from the cars and marched 
to a large prison-pen a short distance from the 
railroad. We had so litde faith in the truth of 
the statement made by the rebels when we had 
left Savannah, that we were going to be ex- 
changed, that it did not surprise us much to see 
this prison, it being only what we had expected 
all along. We had commenced to think that the 
rebels were such liars that we could not believe 
anything they said. I am sorry to be compelled 
to state that before I get to the end of the narra- 
tive I will have to confess that the scamps fooled 
us once more. 

This prison-pen was sometimes known as. 
Camp Lawton, and was quite pleasantly situated 
about 90 or 100 miles northwest of Savannah. 
After our entrance into prison I spent most of the 
day in examining our new quarters, and I found 
that they compared very favorably with Anderson- 
ville. It was in many respects the best-arranged 
prison we had yet been in. It was very large 

(374) 



MILLEN PRISON-PEN. 375 

and roomy, and was, as we were informed, to 
contain all of the prisoners in the hands of the 
rebels ; and, could the rebels have prevented 
Sherman's march to the sea, it would no doubt 
have been used for that purpose. Like Ander- 
sonville, it was situated in a country almost cov- 
ered with large pine trees, and about as far away 
from civilization as the enemy could get us. 
About forty acres of land had been cleared away, 
and with the large logs an inclosure built on the 
same plan as at Andersonville. 

A splendid stream of water ran through the 
prison almost in the central part ; and this was a 
great comfort to us, as it gave us plenty of good 
water, and also the privilege of bathing. A very 
good arrangement had also been completed to 
carry off the excrement and filth of the prison ; 
and had shelter been erected for the prisoners, 
and proper food been given them, it would cer- 
tainly have been an arrangement that would have 
been a credit to the South, and a proper recep- 
tacle for the confinement of prisoners of war, 
and such as the laws of humanity required. No 
shelter was furnished; and this can certainly not 
be apologized for on the plea of inability to fur- 
nish it, as the abundance of timber all around us 
would soon have supplied all the necessary ma- 
terial. 

A considerable amount of limbs and brush had 
been left in the prison, and the first arrivals se- 



2il^ BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

cured this, and with It constructed a pretty good 
shelter ; but a large number who came later had 
no shelter at all, and as they were almost naked, 
and the cold weather came on, they suffered ter- 
ribly, and a very large number of them died. 
Scurvy and diarrhoea, the diseases so fearfully 
prevalent in the other prisons, were also raging 
terribly here, and rheumatism was much worse in 
this place than in any of the prisons we had been 
before. This was no doubt owing to the colder 
weather, and the fact that a large number of the 
prisoners who came to this place had the seeds 
of disease sown in their system before they came 
here. 

When I first went to Millen the food was 
better than in Andersonville, and consisted of 
one pint of corn -meal, six ounces of uncooked 
beef, six spoonfuls of cooked rice, and a little 
salt. This was the ration for twenty-four hours, 
and with it those who were well enough to be 
up and about could get along; but the rations 
were soon after cut down, and were about as 
bad as at Andersonville. No food of any differ- 
ent character was issued to the sick, and no 
medicine given to those inside of the stockade. 

As mentioned before, I spent a good part of 
my first day in prison in walking around and 
examining it. We had, however, located our 
ground and gathered a lot of wood and sticks, 
and with the aid of our rags and blankets, sue- 



POOR SHELTER. 377 

ceeded in making a pretty good shelter. Gilbert, 
who ever had an eye to business, suggested that 
we on the following day gather all the small 
sticks of wood we could find, as we knew that in 
a few days it would be hard to get, and also as 
much as possible improve our shelter; so on the 
following day we worked as hard as our feeble 
condition would allow, and by evening had a 
supply of fuel that would at least enable us to 
cook our rations; and our shelter would have at 
least passed for a pretty good dog-house — that 
is, for those who are not inclined to be very 
particular with their dogs, and where the climate 
is not too cold. It was certainly not a model of 
architectural skill, and was just large enough, in 
the event of our receiving one visitor, to compel at 
least one of the hosts or the guest to sit on the 
outside. After it was completed we looked on 
it with much satisfaction, and it was certainly a 
real blessing to us. We looked forward, how- 
ever, to the approach of winter with horror, 
knowing that our little stock of wood would be 
gone, and, although there was plenty on the out- 
side of our prison, we knew that if our jailers 
had the same spirit that they had at Anderson- 
ville, it would not do us much good. 

Since our arrival in this prison the weather 
had been quite pleasant, and continued so until 
the 2d of November, when it became stormy and 
cold. A large number of prisoners had arrived 



378 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

from Andersonvllle and other prisons, and as 
many of them were almost naked and without 
shelter, their sufferings were terrible in the ex- 
treme. The mortality became very great, and a 
gloom and despondency fell over the prison 
which was fearful to behold. It was a common 
occurrence to find two, and sometimes three, 
who had laid down side by side to sleep, to have 
taken the sleep that knows no waking, their 
spirits having passed away during the night. 

The niofht followinof the 2 2d of the month was 
cold, wet and stormy, and the medium of human 
language can not describe the utter wretchedness 
and misery of our prison during the night. Not- 
withstanding the terrible anguish and misery of 
our past prison life, that night overshadowed them 
all in the intensity of suffering. Surely the angel 
of death reaped a rich harvest that night, not only 
in those he carried away before morning, but in the 
many who eventually died from the effects of that 
night's sufferings. Huddled together in our little 
hut, our bed of rags and clothing wet from the 
water constantly dripping through our roof, shiv- 
ering and cold, we suffered terribly during the 
night; and yet we were fortunate, compared to 
many others who were without any shelter, and 
exposed to all the storm. As already mentioned, 
some of these had been just brought from other 
prisons, and already sick and in a most helpless 
condition, were thrown in among us to die like 



DEATHS FROM EXPOSURE. 379 

dogs. Oh, who can sum up the villainy and 
crimes of the authors of the rebel brutality In 
these Southern hell-holes? Surely, If God metes 
out punishment to man for his Inhumanity to his 
fellows, these demons will have a fearful catalogue 
to answer for ! 

In the mornlnof the storm had ceased, and the 
sun came out bright and warm, but I was quite 
sick from the terrible freezing I had received dur- 
ing the night. Among the number that perished 
during the night, was one of our comrades by the 
name of John W. Mathias, a native of Carlisle, 
and a member of company C of our regiment. 
Poor boy! he was without shelter; and sick as he 
was, he could not endure the agony of that terri- 
ble night, and with many others miserably per- 
ished. Sometime during the night he crept up to 
where several members of his company stayed, 
and on his knees begged for the help it was 
impossible for them to give him. In the early 
part of the night we heard him praying that 
God would relieve him of his sufferings, and day- 
light revealed the fact that his prayers had been 
answered, for he was at rest. His poor emaci- 
ated body was lying almost imbedded in the 
mud, but his pure young spirit had fled to its 
Maker. Sadly we carried his body to the gate, 
and laid it down for burial with the large number 
of dead who had passed away during the night. 

I thought then if I should ever get home I 



380 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

would not tell of all the horrible scenes I had 
witnessed, and I would rather my book could be 
void of them ; but to describe our prisons as 
they really were, I will have to write of some 
thino^s that I would fain wish had never existed. 

o 

I can, however, assure the reader that, horrible as 
some of the scenes described in these pages may 
appear to them, they are yet only a faint descrip- 
tion of the reality, and much will remain forever 
with the unwritten history of the war. 

It is strange that with all the known facts in 
the case, any doubt should exist in the North 
in regard to the terribleness of those Southern 
prisons, and of the brutality of the men who had 
charge of them. When men who enjoyed the 
comforts of home, and really know nothing about 
the Southern hell-holes, try to mitigate, or en- 
deavor to raise a doubt as to the truth of the 
published atrocities in these places, it is time for 
the survivors, who are the best judges in the 
matter, to testify to what they have seen. " We 
speak what we do know, and testify that we have 
seen ;" and it is only through the personal exper- 
ience of those who endured the horrors of these 
places that the history of them can be given. 

Sometimes when prisoners arrived from other 
prisons, we went among them to look for old 
friends, and occasionally found some in such a 
wretched condition that we could not help but 
wish they had closed their eyes in death before 



DYING COMRADES. 38 1 

they came to this terrible place. It was so with 
our old friend William Rinear, a neighbor in our 
Northern home. We had left him in Savannah 
prison, then apparently in good health, and did 
not again see him until one morning I was walk- 
ing through the prison, when I noticed a sick man 
who I thought resembled some one I knew. I 
went close to him, and found it to be Rinear. He 
was in a dying condition, and could only make 
out to talk to me a little. I asked him what I 
could do for him, and he said that some one had 
given him a brier root to make tea with, for the 
purpose of stopping his diarrhoea, and that if I 
wished to I might make him some tea; but that he 
did not think it worth while, as he knew that he 
was dying. He also said that he had made his 
peace with God, and was anxious to go. After 
staying with him for a short time, I went for Gil- 
bert, and soon returned with him to see what we 
could do for our dying comrade. We looked for 
the brier root, but it was gone — some one had, no 
doubt, in my absence, picked it up. But it could 
not have helped poor Rinear anyhow ; he was 
fast sinking away, and soon after passed to his 
eternal home. Sadly and with aching hearts we 
returned to our hut, feeling that it could not be 
long before we too would have to share the same 
fate, if we did not have a speedy deliverance. 

On the following morning Fralich and I went 
to the spot where we had left Rinear, and found 



382 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

that his dead body had been carried to the gate. 
Instead of carrying the dead to a dead-house out- 
side of the stockade, as was the custom in Ander- 
sonville, at this place they were carried to the 
gate, where they were laid inside of the prison 
until the arrival of the mule-team, when they 
were taken away to the burial-ground. We 
went to the gate, and, among a large number of 
others, we with some difficulty recognized the 
dead body of our friend. He, with the rest of 
the dead, had been stripped of all clothing, and 
presented a sight so sickening that we soon 
turned away with horror. We had walked away 
a short distance, when in looking back we dis- 
covered that the teams were cominor in to load 
up the dead, so we stopped to watch the pro- 
ceeding. With as little feeling or respect for the 
poor victims of their brutality as if they were 
logs of wood, the rebels threw them on the 
wagon until it was full — their arms and legs in 
some cases dangling out over the wagon — and 
then drove off. As we left the spot Fralich ex- 
claimed, "John, I wish to God that every man in 
the North could witness this ! " 

During the latter part of our imprisonment in 
this prison, the rebels had again commenced to 
give us molasses instead of beef. The rebels 
appeared to have this article in abundance, and 
as some of the sick could not use it, it was, com- 
pared to other diet, quite plenty in our prison. 



THE CANDY BUSINESS. 383 

It was at this time that we struck upon an idea 
which was the means of helping us considerably. 
It was to take our ration of molasses, make 
candy, and sell it to the new prisoners who were 
coming in almost every day, and almost always 
had a little money. Gilbert was quite a good 
hand at making candy, and after he had trans- 
ferred our rations into it, I went out to try my 
luck. I was fortunate enough to get among a 
squad of new prisoners who had just come from 
Sherman's army, and soon made a sale of it all. 
Elated with our good success, we determined to 
carry on the business on a more extensive scale. 
We took the money we had thus obtained, and 
with it purchased molasses from some of the 
prisoners who could not use it, and then with our 
next day's rations we made quite a lot of candy, 
and I soon had sold all of it, realizing quite a 
profit. By trading and purchasing we soon 
found that we could get all the molasses we 
wanted, and Gilbert and Fralich made the candy, 
while I did the purchasing and selling. 

A large number of prisoners from Sherman's 
army were coming in about this time, and as my 
goods were quite a novelty in our prison, and 
also tasted good, I for some time had ready sale 
for it. With the proceeds we purchased sweet- 
potatoes and beans from the rebel sutlers, and 
what we did not use for ourselves we would 
trade off for molasses with the other prisoners. 



384 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

We soon bettered our condition considerably. 
It enabled us for a few weeks to have more food, 
and we also added to our stock of bedding by 
purchasing an old blanket, for which we paid 
four dollars and seventy-five cents. We also 
purchased a little tobacco for Fralich, who was 
the only one of us three who used it — and now 
that he had more to eat, he became dreadfully 
hungry for some of the weed. We also became 
so extravagant as to spend fifteen cents for a 
newspaper, so the reader can easily understand 
that our condition was very much improved. It 
was also a great benefit to us from the fact that 
It kept our minds employed, and to some extent 
made us more satisfied with our lot. As is the 
case in all matters of business, the success of 
some will soon bring others into the field, and 
competition became so sharp that " candy busi- 
ness" was (to us a common phrase) soon 
"driven into the ground." 

Fortunately for us, I, however, about this time 
discovered a plan which would again give us a 
monopoly of the trade; and I was not slow to 
avail myself of it. On one occasion I was among 
a number of prisoners who had just arrived, and 
calling out, " Here is your nice candy, five cents 
a stick!" Close to me, and also engraved in the 
same business, was a prisoner who presented 
even a more dirty and desolate appearance than 
myself He was also loudly proclaiming the 



CLEAN CANDY. 385 

worth of his goods, and had just made a sale, 
when his customer came close to me and com- 
menced to talk to one of his comrades about it. 
The one spoken to, pointing to me, said, *'I would 
rather buy from that young man; he keeps his 
hands cleaner." Looking at my hands, I quickly 
came to the conclusion that if they were not as 
dirty as the other fellow's, yet there was much 
room for improvement, and that I might add to 
my capital in trade by giving them a good wash- 
ing. I immediately went to the sutler, and, pur- 
chasing a small piece of soap, I went to the brook 
and gave my hands, arms, face and neck a good 
washing, until they were as clean as soap and 
water could make them; then fixing my hair as 
nice as possible, I again commenced business. 

When I informed the boys of my plan they 
laughed heartily, and one declared that I would 
get rich some day, which, by the way, so far at 
least has proved to be quite a mistake. Assured 
now (if I may be allowed to use a slang expres- 
sion), that I had the other candy merchants by 
the nape of the neck, I again sallied forth, and 
was soon loudly calling out, " This way, boys, for 
your nice clean candy!" at the same time assur- 
ing the crowd that it had been made with clean 
hands, and the most perfect care taken to keep it 
perfectly clean. As to how clean it was made I 
am willing to let Gilbert and Fralich tell — they 
know all about it. The dodge was successful, 
25 



386 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

and I kept the monopoly of the business. I can- 
not say, however, that on the next day, when 1 
saw that my principal competitor's hands showed 
a decided improvement, I felt very highly elated. 
I am afraid I had a good bit of the spirit that 
characterizes business men everywhere. The 
candy business soon after this came to an abrupt 
close, as the rebels again changed our rations 
from molasses to meat ; and what was our loss 
was certainly a great gain to the rest of the pris- 
oners. As it had greatly helped us, we had no 
reason to complain. 

On the 3d of November about 1,000 prisoners 
arrived from Andersonville, who had been left at 
that place until this time. They reported that 
prison as being about empty, and that Sherman's 
army was surely marching in the direction of our 
prison. On the following day we were again 
informed that an immediate exchanofe would take 
place, but we did not pay much attention to it. 
On the 8th, the day that the loyal states re- 
elected Abraham Lincoln to the chief magistracy 
of the Nation, we concluded also to have an 
election. It would at least be good pastime, and 
we felt anxious to know how the majority of the 
inmates of the prison would vote. 

The rebels, who had worked hard to convince 
us that it was the fault of Lincoln's administra- 
tion that we were not exchanged, had greatly 
encouraged the idea, and were really the prime 



REBEL CONFUSION. 387 

movers In It, thinking that McClellan would have 
by far the largest number of votes. Black and 
white beans were furnished to vote with — the 
black ones representing the Republican party, 
and the white ones the Democratic party. A 
ballot-box was placed Inside of the prison, and 
men stationed there to see that all voted fairly. 
All then that wished to vote fell into line, and 
marching up, quietly deposited their votes. It did 
not, however, turn out quite as the rebels ex- 
pected; and I do not think that if they could have 
foreseen the result, they would have been so 
anxious to help it along. 

In the evening the votes were counted, when It 
was found that 3,014 had voted for Lincoln, and 
1,050 for McClellan, giving Lincoln 2,964 major- 
ity. This proved pretty conclusively that al- 
though they might starve and kill us, they could 
not compel us to sue for peace by favoring a dis- 
graceful compromise. 

On the 13th a physician came into prison for 
the purpose of examining us and selecting sev- 
enty-five out of each thousand prisoners for ex- 
change ; and on the 15th this lot of men left, as 
it was said, for the Union lines, but on the follow- 
ing day they again returned to prison. It now 
became evident to us that the rebels must be 
somewhat confused by the situation, and we 
waited with great anxiety to see what would turn 
up next. On the i8th the sick were again taken 



388 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

out; and finally, on the 19th of November, 1864, 
we were informed by the rebels that the following 
day we would be sent to Savannah, Georgia, for 
the purpose of being exchanged. The news at 
first created some excitement, but the most of us 
did not put much faith in the report. The rebels 
had deceived us so often that we had lost all con- 
fidence in what they said. A few of the prison- 
ers, however, who grasped at every rumor as a 
drowning man does at a straw, . were at first 
almost wild with joy, and were constantly talking 
of the good times they expected to have when 
they could get home to loved ones again. 

But in a few hours, after discussing the matter 
amone ourselves, almost all came to the conclu- 
sion that the rebels were deceiving us ; and if 
they did remove us, it was for some other object. 
They had deceived us so often that we could not 
help believing they tried to torture us, by holding 
out hopes they knew would never be realized. 
We were also aware of the fact that Atlanta had 
fallen into possession of Sherman's victorious 
army, and that he was making preparations to 
commence his ereat march to the sea. Prisoners 
from that army had informed us of its move- 
ments, and we soon came to the conclusion that 
it was Sherman who had given the rebels march- 
ing orders. Some of the boys could not help but 
taunt the rebels at every opportunity, by remind- 
ing them of it. " How do you like Sherman's 



SHERMAN COMING. 389 

marching orders?" became a common saying 
that could be heard all over camp, much to the 
disgust and annoyance of our enemies. That we 
were right in our opinion about the cause that 
compelled the rebels to remove us from Millen, is 
fully borne out from the fact that Sherman com- 
menced his march froni Atlanta on the 14th of 
November — six days before our removal — and 
that the situation of our prison was directly in the 
line of his march toward Savannah, which was 
the place where he reached the coast. On the 
2d of December the advance of Sherman's army 
had possession of Millen. On Sunday, Novem- 
ber 20th, a large number of prisoners were taken 
from the prison, put on cars, and sent in the 
direction of Savannah. The haste and fear dis- 
played by the rebels convinced us that our troops 
were coming, and that our enemies were hurry- 
ing to get us out of the way. We were all in a 
tremor of joy and excitement, and could hardly 
keep our feelings within the bounds of propriety, 
as it would not do to get to be too demonstrative 
within the hearincr of our o-uards. We becran to 
entertain the hope that our troops would over- 
take us before the rebels could get us to another 
prison ; but in that we were disappointed. W^e 
had, however, the utmost confidence that the 
Government would soon crush out rebellion in 
the South ; and that if we could hold out a short 
time longer, our deliverance would come. 



390 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

But we were also daily reminded of the fa.ct that 
Death was reaping a rich harvest among us, and 
almost every hour of the day some poor fellows 
were being exchanged (as the boys expressed it), 
by that grim monster. Only those who "have 
been in like situations can form any idea with 
what intense anxiety we watched every move- 
ment of our enemies, and every act and word 
that would give us any hope of being released 
from our terrible sufferings. New prisoners 
coming into prison were eagerly seized upon, and 
compelled to relate again and again to eager 
crowds all the news they possessed of the move- 
ments of our armies, and the prospect of an ex- 
change of prisoners. Sometimes one of the new 
arrivals would succeed in getting a newspaper 
into the prison ; it would soon be going the 
rounds, and be read and handled until very little 
of it was left. 

The nights were beginning to be quite cold, 
and as the old prisoners were almost naked, they 
were suffering from the effects of it. Scurvy, 
diarrhoea and rheumatism were also telling fear- 
fully on us, and day after day we saw our com- 
rades carried away dead, after suffering all the 
agony and misery the human system can be 
afflicted with. In their eao^erness to clothe them- 
selves, some of the prisoners would strip the rags 
from the dead and carry their nude bodies to the 
gate, where the rebels would load them on mule- 



ROBBING THE DEAD. 39! 

teams, and haul them away for burial. It was a 
terrible sight to see their poor emaciated bodies 
thrown into the wagon, with as little respect as 
if they had been logs of wood. Some might 
think that it was a hard thine to rob the dead 
of the little covering on them; but it is truly said 
that "self-preservation is the first law of nature," 
and the prisoners tried to justify themselves by 
the thought that their poor comrades had passed 
through their sufferings, and as they were uncon- 
scious of any indignity heaped on their bodies, it 
could be no harm to take what they had to better 
their own condition. 

The prisoners were taken away as fast as pos- 
sible, but our detachment did not leave until the 
morning of the 21st, when we were marched to 
the station, and put on the cars. At twelve m. 
we left for Savannah, v/here we arrived at nine 
p. m. We stayed in Savannah over night, and 
in the morning were again put on the cars and 
taken South. Where we were going, no one ap- 
peared to know; but one thing appeared certain 
— we were not to see the end of our bondage yet. 
Before starting we were furnished with ten 
crackers, which was quite an Improvement on 
our former rations. The weather was extremely 
cold for the time of the year ; so much so that 
our guards, who were natives of Georgia, told us 
they had never experienced weather of that kind 
so early in the winter. IMost of the prisoners 



392 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

were on platform cars, and suffered terribly, and 
a few of the weaker ones froze to death. We 
were on the cars till the next morning, when we 
stopped at a station a short distance from Black- 
shear, Georgia. It was a wild, desolate-looking 
place, only one house being in sight. We were 
then told to get off of the cars, as the train would 
stop for an hour or two, and we would have the 
privilege of warming ourselves. I had been for- 
tunate enough to get into a closed box-car, so 
did not suffer much from the cold ; but the men 
on the open platforms were in a sorry condition. 
I was in the act of getting out of the car, when a 
prisoner, who had been on one of the platform 
cars, came to inform me that a member of our 
regiment was dying in the cars he had left. I 
hastened forward, and found the poor fellow to 
be William Dutton, a member of Company C, 
and a native of Chester, Pa. He was in a dying 
condition. I went and told Gilbert and Fralich 
of his situation, and they helped me lift him from 
the cars. Some of the men had built fires, and 
we were going to carry him to one of them, when 
a rebel officer told us not to do so, as that would 
kill him. We tried to bring him to, but poor 
Dutton was past recovery. After his death Gil- 
bert went to one of the rebel officers and re- 
quested permission to bury our dead comrade. 
The rebel officer procured a spade for us, and a 
few steps from the railroad track we dug a grave 



A COMRADES DEATH. 393 

and buried him. Poor Button ! a few days be- 
fore he was rejoicing In the hope that he would 
soon be released and get home to his family. 
Little did he think that his body would so soon 
be burled In the wilds of Georgia, where no loved 
ones could come to shed tears over his grave. 
His case was a peculiarly sad one — he had en- 
listed for three years, and was captured the day 
before his term of service expired. In his pocket 
we found a letter that he had received from his 
wife, a few days before his capture. It was such 
a letter as a fond, loving wife would write under 
the circumstances, rejoicing In the belief that her 
husband would soon be united to her after so 
long an absence. I kept the letter, and after my 
release wrote to his widow, informing her of her 
husband's death. William Button was a true, 
quiet, peaceable man, and was respected by all 
who knew him. He was an earnest Christian, and 
spent most of his dme in reading the Bible, and 
quietly waidng his Master's call. And who can 
doubt that death came to him as an angel of 
mercy? How applicable the following words of 
the poet : 

"It is not death to die — 

To leave this weary road, 
And, 'mid the brotherhood on high. 
To be at home with God. 

" It is not death to close 

The eyes long dimmed with tears, 



394 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

And wake in glorious repose, 
To spend eternal years. 

*'It is not death to bear 

The wrench that sets us free 
From dungeon chains, to breathe the air 
Of boundless liberty." 

We stopped at the station for several hours, 
when we were again put on the cars, and left for 
Blackshear. After we left the station I was 
informed that McCoy, a member of Company G 
of our regiment, had also frozen to death on one 
of the hind cars, and his body was left lying on 
the ground near the railroad track. We arrived 
at Blackshear at three p. m., when we were 
marched into the woods, and put under a strong 
guard. The rebels informed us that in the morn- 
ing we would be paroled and sent to Savannah 
or Charleston, and at one of the two named 
places we would be delivered to the United 
States authorities. We placed very little reliance 
on the first report, but in the morning everything 
had the semblance of reality. The rebels made 
preparations for paroling us, and we commenced 
to think that at last our long-delayed hopes were 
going to be realized. In a short time a thousand 
of us were paroled, and put in the cars. We did 
not leave Blackshear, however, until six in the 
evening, when we started for Savannah, at which 
place we arrived at three o'clock in the morning. 
We left Savannah at eight a. m. for Charleston, 



A SHAM PAROLE. 395 

where we confidently expected to be put on the 
United States fleet. The rebels had at last suc- 
ceeded in fooling us, for subsequent events 
proved the parole to be all a sham. 

The rebels were evidently perplexed about the 
situation, and did not know what to do with us. 
Sherman's army had reached and captured Mil- 
ledgeville, Georgia, and his cavalry had destroyed 
the railroad between Augusta and Millen ; if they 
should get possession of the railroad between 
Savannah and Charleston, and compel Johnston's 
army to move northward, we would have to fall 
into the hands of the Union troops. The rebels, 
no doubt being badly pressed for men, and 
needing the heavy guard that guarded us at some 
other point, came to the conclusion to give us a 
sham parole, so as to be able to get us into some 
other prison without guards. No guards accom- 
panied us, and if we had had the least idea they 
were not actinof in Q-ood faith, we would have fied 
from the train and made an effort to get to Jack- 
sonville, Florida, which place we knew to be in 
the possession of our troops. But we were com- 
pletely fooled. We had, however, for a short time 
at least, the satisfaction of enjoying the prospect 
of soon being at liberty again. 

The weather had again become very pleasant, 
and we were in high spirits at the prospect of so 
soon being in "God's land." Some of the men 
were noisy and demonstrative in their joy; others 



39^ BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

were sitting quietly enjoying the prospect of so 
soon being with loved ones again; and all waiting 
with terrible suspense to get to the end of the 
journey: but what a bitter disappointment was in 
store for all of us! We had hoped to get to 
Charleston before night, so as to get a sight of 
the dear old flag, as It floated from the ships in 
the harbor. But we did not reach there till after 
dark, and then all our joy and pleasure was 
changed to bitter sorrow and disappointment. 
Immediately after our arrival a strong guard of 
rebel soldiers surrounded us, and we realized the 
terrible fact that we were destined for another 
Southern hell-hole. No language can express 
the bitter disappointment and despair that at first 
took possession of us. Some of the sick ones 
gave up entirely, and died In utter despair. The 
most of the prisoners, however, soon rallied, and 
tried to take the most philosophical view of the 
matter the situation allowed. We came to the 
conclusion that our enemies must be hard pressed 
to resort to such dirty means to accomplish their 
objects, and the hope that they would soon be 
compelled to give us up revived in our hearts. 

Soon after our arrival we were taken from the 
cars and formed into line for the purpose of 
marching to the depot, in the northern part of 
the city. As we formed into line a large crowd 
of citizens gathered together, and in the vilest 
lano^uaore commenced to abuse us. The women 



INSULT ADDED TO INJURY. 397 

appeared to be the most vicious, and almost ex- 
hausted the English language to find words mean 

enough to fling at the d d Yankees, as they 

were pleased to call us. ''What do you uns 
want down 'ere, anyhow?" was an expression 
we were compelled to hear quite frequently. 
One of our boys ventured to reply to one in the 
crowd who had made that expression that he did 
not think our wishes had been much consulted 
in regard to our coming so far South, and if they 
would just give us a chance to get away, we 
would bid them a long farewell. " Yes," replied 
this dilapidated specimen of Southern chivalry, 
*' if I had the power you would never get from 
here, for I would hang every one of you," to 
which the Yankee replied, " How fortunate for 
us that you are not one in authority ; you have 
the appearance of being a most blood-thirsty 
fellow, and the only wonder is to us that you are 
not in the front, fighting. Your friends are want- 
ing reinforcements pretty badly up about Colum- 
bus, and if you will just shoulder your musket 
and march in that direction, you will find plenty 
of Yankees to catch and kill." 

The prisoner's remarks were greeted with 
hearty laughter by some of our guards, who evi- 
dently did not feel very kindly toward the fellows 
who were willing to help to do the blowing, but 
not the fighting. Our boys, although in the 
hands of their enemies, could not be stopped 



39^ BATIXE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

from talking, and almost always came off victori- 
ous in the many tongue-encounters they would 
get into. Some of the women who had been 
thus worsted commenced to throw water at us, 
and it happened to be anything but clean. I had 
always been an ardent admirer of the fair sex, 
but on that occasion I came to the conclusion 
that when it comes down to pure "cussed" mean- 
ness, a woman can just be a little meaner than 
any one else. There was, however, one class in 
that throng that was in sympathy with us, and 
who would have gladly helped us if they would 
have had the privilege. Their sympathetic looks, 
as we were marched away amid the howls and 
imprecations of our race and color, told plainly 
enough what they would do if they had the 
power. The reader of this, who may have been 
unfortunate enough to enjoy Southern hospitality 
when a prisoner of war in the South, will have 
no trouble in coming to a conclusion as to who 
the class were that I refer to. It was the poor, 
• despised black race, who were always and under 
all circumstances the prisoners friend. On the 
way going to the depot, where we got on the 
cars for Florence, South Carolina, we marched 
through a part of the city, and we were to have 
at least one enjoyment before leaving Charleston. 
About the time we left the lower depot, the 
Union guns on Morris Island and the Federal 
fleet in the harbor opened fire on the city, and 



CHARLESTON BOMBARDED. 399 

the fiery missiles commenced dropping Into It. 
The flash of the guns In the distance, the long 
streaks of fire coming through the air, the crash 
of the large shells as they struck the buildings, 
and the terror of the people, made a scene no 
pen can describe ; as the night was dark, it added 
to the brilliancy of the bombardment. It was 
amusing to us to see the terror and fear dis- 
played by our guards. Judging by the way they 
conducted themselves, we supposed they had 
never been under fire before, and so great was 
their fear that we began to hope they would flee 
and leave us. 

I have often wondered why It was that none of 
us appeared to have any fear, as we were march- 
ing along under the fire of the Union guns; and I 
can only account for it from the fact that the con- 
viction was fast settling upon us that we would 
have to perish in some Southern prison anyhow, 
and that we might just as well die from the fire 
from our fleet as to starve to death. As we were 
marching along, one of the prisoners remarked 
that he wished the Union forces would open fire 
with ten thousand guns and sink the city. When 
reminded by a comrade that in that case he 
would also perish, he remarked, " I would not 
care, if it destroyed the rebels." 

At midnlo^ht we left Charleston for Florence, 
South Carolina, where we arrived at about five p. 
m. We were camped in a large field over night. 



400 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

When we. left Savannah on the 26th, we received 
a piece of beef and one pint of corn meal for 
that day's rations. Somehow we always did get 
more to eat when in that place than anywhere 
in the South ; but on the two following days, the 
27th and 28th, we did not get anything; so that 
when we got to our new prison, we were suffer- 
ing terribly of hunger. We expected that per- 
haps we would get a pretty good allowance ; but 
we were to suffer another disappointment. When 
the ration came it consisted of one pint of wheat 
flour — only that, and nothing more. Unprepared 
as we were to properly prepare it for eating, it 
was the most miserable food we had been fur- 
nished with yet. The most of us could not do 
anything but mix it with cold water, and eat the 
paste. The reader can form an opinion as to 
how palatable such a dish, without salt, would be. 
At eight o'clock we were commanded to fall 
into line, and march to the prison-pen. As we 
came near the gate a prisoner who had become 
weak-minded, and evidently clung to the hope 
that we were going home, commenced to weep 
bitterly, and exclaimed, ''Another bull-pen! I 
thought we were paroled, and going home." 
Poor fellow ! he was rapidly nearing his eternal 
home, for in a few days after his body was carried 
back through the orates for burial. 



CHAPTER XI V; 

Florence Prison — Terrible Condition of the Prison — Sad Death 
of the Drummer Boy — Paroled, and leave for Charleston — De- 
livered to the United States Fleet — Departure for Annapolis — 
Admitted into the Hospital — Receive Furlough, and Start for 
Home. 

A FTER our entrance into this prison we as 
usual first located our ground, and then made 
a survey of our new quarters. I cannot use the 
word ho7ne in connection with these hell-holes ; it 
seems to me entirely too sweet a word. The 
prison was constructed on the same principle that 
Andersonville was, and resembled it in a great 
many respects. A stockade built of logs closed 
us in from the outer world, and a small stream of 
impure water, with a swamp on either side, ran 
through the prison. 

The ground inclosed contained about twelve or 
fifteen acres, of which four or five bordering on 
the stream were so swampy that they could not 
be occupied. The dead-line at- this place was 
marked by a small, narrow ditch, and the same 
deadly significance attached to it as in the other 
prison-pens, it being certain death to cross. Un- 
like the other prison-pens, no sentry-boxes were^ 
erected on the top of the stockade, the guard 
standine on a lot of orround which had been 
26 ( 401 ) 



402 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

thrown aofainst the stockade from the outside. 
No shelter was furnished the inmates, but as at 
Millen, a considerable lot of offal from the trees 
that had been cut to build the stockade was left 
on the inside ; and this furnished the first inmates 
with material to build shelter, but did not help the 
later arrivals much. 

On our arrival we found the prison densely 
packed, and all of the wood had been gathered 
up by the earlier prisoners. We were, however, 
fortunate in securing shelter directly after our 
entrance into prison, in this manner: Two of. the 
first inmates of the prison had erected a shelter 
by digging about twelve or fifteen inches into the 
ground, and over this they formed a roof with 
limbs, brush, and earth. A fire corner and mud 
chimney were at the one end, and the entrance at 
the other. It was a warm nest during dry 
weather, but when it rained the water soaked 
through, and made it of course a very unhealthy 
place. Both of the occupants had taken sick and 
died. We succeeded in getting possession of 
this place, and were thankful indeed for the shel- 
ter it afforded 

It would be utterly impossible for me to try to 
describe our feelino-s as we marched into this 
prison. We were broken down in body, and 
almost in spirit; and the thought would be contin- 
ually coming into our minds. How can we ever 
expect to live over the winter in this terrible 



ECONOMIZING SALT. 403 

place? Quite a number of men, to escape the 
horrors of the prison, were enlisting in the rebel 
army ; not, of course, in the expectation of doing 
the enemy any real service, but for the purpose 
of saving themselves by getting shelter and 
enough to eat, and in the hope that some chance 
might present itself by which they might escape 
to the Union lines. 

The food we received was of the worst de- 
scription, and hardly enough to keep any one 
alive. It generally consisted of one pint of corn- 
meal, or wheat flour, and sometimes a few raw 
beans. Sometimes we received salt, but as often 
none; and when we did get this article there was 
so little of it that we could hardly taste it when 
mixed with the food. Fralich and I discovered 
that by putting our salt together and dissolving it 
in water, we could get a better taste of it by dip- 
ping our mush into the water. In this way we 
dined together until we were separated. It was 
certainly more social than elegant-looking to see 
us with little wooden spoons dip each mouthful 
as we ate it into the same cup, which contained 
the precious salt. 

I did not see any meat of any kind while in this 
prison, and, as already stated, we sometimes got 
wheat flour instead of corn-meal. This was the 
worst diet of any we received in prison, as we 
had no way to prepare it. No medicine was 
issued to the sick inside of the prison. A hos- 



404 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

pital department was connected with the prison, 
but comparatively few of the 'sick could be ad- 
mitted, and consequently the mortality inside was 
very great. As at Millen, the dead were carried 
to the gate, and then hauled away to the burial- 
ground, which was located on a wealthy Union 
man's farm, a short distance from the prison. 

The officer in charge of this prison was one 
Lieutenant Barrett, one of the most cowardly and 
brutal wretches that ever lived, and a fit compan- 
ion for the brutal Dutch Captain Wirz and cow- 
ardly Davis. This Lieutenant Barrett frequently 
came into prison and fired a pistol over the heads 
of the prisoners, to see them dodge around to get 
away, and their fright appeared to give him in- 
tense delight. It was about this time that I wit- 
nessed one of the saddest and most brutal acts I 
had yet witnessed in my prison life. It was a 
rule of the prison that all the inmates, in obeying 
the calls of nature, would go to the part of the 
prison set apart for that purpose. This was of 
course right and proper, so far as it applied to 
men who could go there ; but in the following 
case the attempt to enforce the rule was as 
senseless as it was brutal. 

Among the inmates of our prison-pen was a 
small, tender-looking drummer boy, about thir- 
teen years of age. He had been a prisoner but a 
short time, but his health soon gave way, and he 
commenced to suffer with the diarrhoea. Weak 



UNPARDONABLE CRUELTY. 405 

and faint, he got up and proceeded to go to the 
water-closet arrangement of the prison ; but had 
proceeded but a short distance, when he found 
that he could not go any farther. A brutal 
guard, with a malignant spirit that would have 
disgraced an imp from the infernal regions, and 
who it is hard to believe was human, deliberately 
raised his riiie and fired at the child. The bullet 
sped on its deadly mission, passed through the 
body of the demon's innocent little victim, and he 
fell dead on the ground. A cry of horror rang 
out from those who had witnessed it, and the 
poor little corpse was tenderly lifted from the 
ground and borne to a tent. 

It would be impossible to describe the scene 
that followed. Strong men wept like children, 
others raved and swore vengeance, and all ex- 
pressed it as the most dastardly, cowardly out- 
rage they had yet witnessed. Had it been one of 
the men it would have created some excitement, 
though we had witnessed that quite frequendy 
before ; but to see this innocent child shot down 
like a dog, and for an act he could in no way 
avoid, aroused the men to the most dangerous 
.pitch of excitement. Plans commenced to be 
quietly discussed about making an attempt to 
break out, and it would have been a sad day for 
the rebels in Florence had we succeeded in do- 
ing so. 

The companions of the dead boy washed his 



406 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

body, and after fixing him for burial, all who 
wished had the privilege of seeing him. As I 
looked on the dead body of the child, I thought I 
had never looked on one more beautiful and 
innocent-looking. His beautiful curly hair hung 
in ringlets around his brow, and his pure white 
face looked as peaceful as if he were sleeping. 
Yes, he was sleeping the sleep that knows no 
waking. Murdered by a rebel monster, his little 
body lay a monument of rebel brutality before 
us ; but, thank God, man's brutality stopped 
here: "They can kill the body, but that is all they 
can do." His pure spirit had left the tortured 
body, and winged its way to where devils and 
fiends could not disturb him again. 

During the early part of the month the weather 
had been quite pleasant; but on the 7th it became 
quite cold and unpleasant, and continued so until 
the day before I left prison. On the nth we had 
a severe rain-storm ; and as we could not keep 
the water from grettinor throuorh our roof, we be- 
came wet and very cold, and I found to my 
dismay that I was getting sick. I began to suffer 
intensely from rheumatism, and it was most for- 
tunate for me that at this time arrangements 
were being made to parole the sick. On the fol- 
lowing day our detachment was ordered to fall 
into line and be examined. A large number of 
sick were to be paroled and sent away, and the 
doctors made an examination to get the required 



SELECTING FOR PAROLE. 407 

number. The object was to get the men who 
were in the worst condition ; but men whose term 
of enHstment had expired had the preference, the 
rebel authorities no doubt thinking that they 
would be of no further service to the Govern- 
ment. On that ground they might have rested 
easy in regard to the sick, for it is safe to say 
that of all that class who were now sent to the 
Union lines, not one would again be able to per- 
form military duty. A few bribed themselves out 
by giving the rebel doctors rings and other trink- 
ets. I had suffered fearfully with rheumatism the 
night before, but in the morning I felt somewhat 
better. I was, however, so weak that I could 
hardly stand in line until the examination was 
over. The first time the doctor passed down the 
line I was not taken, and I had just about made 
up my mind that I was to be doomed for a longer 
imprisonment, when he again returned and said I 
was to be taken out to the hospital. The hope 
of beinor sent to our lines made me anxious to 

o 

go, as we were informed that all in the hospital 
would certainly be sent away. Had it not been 
for that, I would have preferred to remain with 
my comrades, and die with them, before taking 
my chances in that place. As I bade them a sad 
farewell, fearing that I should never see them 
again, Gilbert and Fralich, although less fortu- 
nate, spoke words of cheer. Gilbert exclaimed, 
''John, it's a lucky thing for you, for you cannot 



408 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

expect to make it much longer here ; and I think 
we shall all soon get out, for the rebels are on 
their last pins ! " We did not, however, have 
much time to talk, for I was soon taken away and 
put into the hospital. 

This place was in the northwestern parfof the 
prison, but was divided off from the other part 
of it. It was under shelter, but it was in the 
most horrible condition. The men were lying on 
the cold ground, with only a slight covering, and 
so filthy and lousy that the sight they presented 
was horrible in the extreme. The United States 
Sanitary Commission had sent a considerable 
amount of clothing and hospital supplies to this 
place, and it was said that the rebel doctors 
distributed them fairly among the inmates at one 
time after the other, as they would be most 
needed, with the exception of a large number 
of white sheets, which had been intended for the 
beds of the sick. The rebel doctors said that as 
the men slept on the ground, these fine sheets 
would do them little good, and so made arrange- 
ments to trade them off to the citizens of the 
vicinity for sweet-potatoes, which were to be 
given to the sick, and which the rebels said 
would do them more good than the bedding. 

A notice having been put up that sweet- 
potatoes and other food would be received in 
exchange for the hospital goods, a large number 
of citizens, mostly ladies, gathered, anxious to 



OFF AGAIN. ' 409 

get a good bargain. Somewhat similar to the 
farmer in Vermont, who when his house burnt 
away, and after applying to his neighborhood for 
relief, found that every man for five miles around 
was bringing relief in the shape of turnips, and 
to stop the further arrivals of that kind of relief, 
he was obliged to post one of his sons at the 
gate and inform his friends that no more turnips 
would be received — so in this case all came with 
sweet-potatoes, only it differed from the turnip 
donation in the fact that they expected to get 
about ten times the worth of their yams in the 
despised " Yankees" bedding. 

A large amount of sweet-potatoes were gathered 
together in this way, and it was said that the sick 
had for some time all of that kind of diet they 
wanted. I have yet, however, to learn that sweet- 
potatoes are very beneficial to sick people; but 
the doctors had no doubt an eye to business, as 
it would save so much food to the Southern Con- 
federacy. The prisoners inside of the prison also 
for a short time received rations of these potatoes, 
and among them they were gladly received. 

On the following morning after my entrance 
into the hospital, the doctors again came around 
and examined us. This was to fill up a detach- 
ment, which was to be immediately Sent away, 
and this time I was one of the fortunate ones 
selected to go. I was immediately taken outside, 
and signed a parole, that I would not take up 



410 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

arms, perform any field service, or any military 
duty, until I should be duly declared exchanged. 
In company with a large number of others who 
had been paroled, we were kept in a large field 
a short distance from the prison. As I had once 
before been paroled by the rebels for the pur- 
pose of deceiving us, I could not feel altogether 
at rest, and a terrible fear possessed me all day. 
I knew now that with me it was a matter of life 
or death, as my health had given way so badly 
that if I would be sent into the prison again, a 
few short days would be as long as I could sur- 
vive. 

We were not guarded, but I was now too sick 
and weak to make an attempt to escape, and im- 
patiently I waited to see what would turn up 
next. The day was a most beautiful one, and 
could I have felt positively certain that we were 
soon to go home, I could have lain down in 
peace and calmly awaited the order to start; but 
the fear that perhaps after all it would not be so, 
kept me nervous and restless. Finally, at about 
three o'clock p. m. we received orders to fall into 
line and proceed to the station, a short distance 
from us. The most of us were really hardly fit 
to walk at all, but the hope of deliverance kept 
us up; and slowly, painfully, but gladly, we pro- 
ceeded on the way, and by four o'clock we were 
loaded on the cars. In a few moments after, the 
shrill shriek of the engine announced to us the 



BOUND FOR CHARLESTON. 4U 

glad tidings that we were going to start. The 
cars commenced to move, and we were on the 
way to Charleston, at which place we were to be 
delivered to the Union authorities. 

As we could not all get inside of tne cars, 
some of us had to get on top, and during the 
night I made quite a narrow escape from being 
thrown off. The night was quite cold, and being 
so exposed to the air, we suffered considerably. 
When I was taken from the hospital I had 
• taken the privilege of throwing the old blanket I 
had for covering over my shoulders, and taking 
this, I wrapped it around me, and lying down on 
the car, fell asleep. The motion of the car kept 
moving me gradually around, and I was in a 
most dangerous position, as a sudden jerk of the 
car might easily have thrown me off One of the 
men, seeing my danger, pulled me back and 
wakened me. When I discovered the narrow 
escape I had made, I was too much frightened to 
sleep again ; and as we were getting most miser- 
ably cold, we were heartily glad when daylight 
appeared. It was after sunrise when we came 
in sight of Charleston, and as the sun came -up 
clear and warm, we soon felt comfortable, and 
we enjoyed the sight very much. In the distance 
we saw the Union fleet, and we watched anxiously 
to get a glimpse of the dear old flag, and it filled 
our hearts with joy to think we would so soon be 
under its protection again. 



412 BATFLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

After our arrival in the city we were imme- 
diately taken from the cars and marched to the 
wharf, where we were loaded on a Confederate 
steamer, and soon after steamed out of the har- 
bor for the Union fleet. Some of the rebels on 
board tried to frighten us by telling of the danger 
we would have to encounter in passing the tor- 
pedoes they had planted to blow up the Union 
fleet, should they attempt to land and take pos- 
session of the city ; but we soon came to the 
conclusion that our enemies would be pretty sure 
to take care of their own precious selves, so we 
did not bother much about it. 

On the way going out we had a very good 
view of Fort Sumter, and it looked as if it had 
passed through a terrible siege. The one side 
looked more like an immense battered-down pile 
of bricks than a fort. We had also a good view 
of the Union iron-clad fleet which was doing duty 
in the harbor. The new Ironsides especially 
looked formidable, and it filled our hearts with 
joy and pride as we looked at her frowning guns 
and starry flag. 

The rebel steamer steamed directly for the 
steamship New York, which was to receive us. 
As we came near the Union steamer, the prison- 
ers, impatient to get on board of her, commenced 
to crowd to one side of the rebel ship, and the 
rebel officers had considerable trouble to manao-e 
her, the weight being almost all on one side, 



UNDER THE OLD FLAG. 413 

making the ship unruly. It was only when the 
impatient boys discovered that their conduct was 
retarding their exit from the rebels, that they 
could be prevailed upon to obey orders. One of 
the rebel officers, who no doubt felt dismisted 
with the impatience the prisoners displayed to 
get out of their hands, and their devotion to the 
old flag, exclaimed, "Well, you men do certainly 
feel anxious to get out of our hands !" Quick as 
a flash an Irishman replied, "Yes, and begorra 
we hopes niver to see the likes of you again." 
This created a hearty laugh, in which the rebels 
themselves joined. They also acknowledged 
that, judging from our appearance, we must have 
had a pretty tough time of it during our sojourn 
in the Southern Confederacy. 

As soon as the two steamers were lashed 
together, the prisoners made a rush to get on 
board the Union ship, and in a very short time 
the rebel steamer was relieved of her load. It 
must have been a strange sight to the rebels to 
see the boys gather around the old flag, and wit- 
ness their devotion to this precious emblem of 
their country. Some cried like children, others 
sang and shouted for joy, while others sat down 
and quietly watched the demonstrations of their 
more noisy comrades — their faces, however, indi- 
cating a peace and joy they could find no words 
to express. 

During these demonstrations of joy, I closely 



414 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

watched the countenances of several of the rebel 
officers, and I could not but think they were 
touched by the scene, and that their hearts 
warmed for the dear old flag. It looked so grand 
and noble compared to their rag, that I thought 
perhaps they would not care much to see it wave 
over all the land again. 

Directly after getting on the Union vessel, we 
were told to take off all our clothing, and with 
what blankets we had, drop them into the sea. 
Taking my diary and a few things from my 
pockets, I soon went through that performance, 
and I saw with no regret my clothing, baggage, 
lice and all, float away. We were then washed 
and furnished with a clean new suit of " Uncle 
Sam's" blue, and also a good, warm, wholesome 
dinner. The coffee was especially appreciated 
by us, and after having partaken of our dinner 
we felt so much better, that with the same kind 
of diet we felt that we would soon be well and 
strong again. In the afternoon we were trans- 
ferred to the steamship "Star of the South," and 
soon after the good ship was bearing us away 
from the terrible scenes that had so long sur- 
rounded us. I could hardly realize the fact that 
I was at last going home; and even now, when I 
knew that I was out of the hands of the enemy, I 
felt so nervous and my mind so disturbed, that 
during the first night after my release I found it 
impossible to sleep. Weak and sick as I was, 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 415 

and having hardly any sleep the night before, 
I felt the importance of a good night's rest; and 
I closed my eyes and tried to compel my mind 
to rest, but all in vain. 

During all my long imprisonment I had heard 
nothing from home, and my mind constantly 
wandered away to the scenes of my boyhood, 
and wondered how I would find things there. I 
had no doubt but that some of my friends had 
given me up for dead, and I feared that some of 
them had passed away in my absence; so I felt 
as if I could not wait until I could write to them 
and hear from home. My mind also frequently 
wandered back to the horrible pen I had left, and 
to the comrades who were still there. We had 
suffered so lono^ tOQ^ether that our mutual afflic- 
tions and sorrows had bound us together like 
brothers; and it seemed almost selfish to rejoice 
at my own escape, and they still in " durance 
vile." I felt rejoiced at my own release, but the 
thought of those who were still in the hell-hole I 
had left troubled me considerably. I am happy to 
say that they both returned safely to their homes 
some time after my release, but with broken-down 
health. 

On the following day the weather was windy, 
but cool and pleasant, and I longed to go on 
deck ; but I was taken quite sick in the latter 
part of the night, and suffered fearfully during 
the day; so much so that I was commencing to 



41 6 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

fear that perhaps after all I would never see 
home. On the following night, however, I suc- 
ceeded in getting some sleep, and felt somewhat 
better in the morninof. 

At about 9 a. m. we reached Fortress Monroe. 
I expected that perhaps we would be put into 
one of the United States hospitals at this place, 
and judging from my former experience there, I 
felt that we could not be put in a better one; yet 
I wished we would proceed farther North, and 
get as near home as possible. I soon found that 
my wish would be gratified, for we soon after left, 
and sailed up the Chesapeake bay. We arrived 
at Annapolis, Maryland, at ten o'clock on the 
following day, Monday, December 19th. As we 
steamed up to the dock we felt that we were in- 
deed in "God's land" a^ain. 

The wharves and shores were crowded with 
people, some of them being from the North, who 
were looking for friends; and the sight of the 
loyal throng, who with beating hearts and trem- 
bling voices were inquiring for friends, and who 
had a kind look and word for us all, made us 
feel that we were indeed amonor friends. The 
magnificent band belonging to the St. John's 
College hospital, which was stationed on the 
dock, first played " Home, Sweet Home," and 
then *" Hail Columbia." The scene that followed 
it would be impossible to describe. It was use- 
less for any of us to try to keep our eyes dry, 




{LAOor^^^^^ 



l¥ "GOD'S COUNTRY" AGAIN. 



ST. JOHNS COLLEGE HOSPITAL. 417 

and on the shore some of the men and women 
wept Hke children. 

As we were taken to the hospital, I heard 
frequent expressions of indignation, one old gen- 
tleman exclaiming, " My God, can it be that in 
an age and country like this a man must look on 
such a scene ! " I wondered what the old o-en- 
tleman would have said if he could have seen us 
before we were washed and put into clean cloth- 
inor. 

The hospital we were admitted to was called 
the St. John's College hospital, and after being 
again washed, and our clothing taken from us, 
we were furnished with hospital clothing and put 
into nice clean beds. The contrast from our 
wretched condition in prison was so great that it 
almost seemed like a pleasant dream, and my 
mind could not sometimes fully realize that it was 
all true. Kind, attentive physicians worked to 
bring us back to health and strength again ; 
nurses, both ladies and gentlemen, gathered 
around us, willing to attend to our every want. 
The food was all that the most exacting ones 
could wish for — although, as we were in too weak 
a condition to have all we might have wished for, 
some of the men at first complained a little in 
regard to the quantity of it; but the doctors and 
nurses explained the matter so nicely to them 
that they soon became satisfied. 

We were informed that as soon as we should 
27 



41 8/ BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN- 

be Strong enough, we might go to the table set 
apart for the convalescents, where we would get 
all the food we wanted. In the meantime only 
such diet was given us as the doctors would pre- 
scribe in the morning when examining us. This 
was, however, of the very best kind, and so com- 
plete was the arrangement that the patient could 
hardly ask for any delicacy that could not be 
immediately procured, and it always was, if the 
attending physician did not think it would injure 
the sick applicant. Long suffering and the horri- 
ble scenes they had witnessed had made some of 
the men very weak-minded, and they needed 
constant attention and waiting on; but in every 
instance that came under my observation, the 
duty was discharged with the greatest fidelity. 

The night after our entrance into the hospital 
was cold and stormy, and O ! how grateful I felt 
that a kind Providence had safely guided me into 
this haven of rest. As I have already stated, I 
could sometimes hardly think it could be true that 
I was safe away from the enemy ; and in the 
morning the nurse informed me that I had fre- 
quently jumped up and felt and examined the 
bed and my surroundings, when, being assured 
that I was safe, I would lie down and go to sleep 
ao^ain. 

On the following day I felt much better, and in 
a few days could be up again. I now wrote a 
letter home, and then spent the remainder of the 



\ \ 

HOME AGAIN. 419 

day In reading and examining the papers. On 
the following day a large ship-load of released 
prisoners arrived, and as the authorities at the 
hospital were short of room, it was announced to 
us that all who were able to eo home mieht have 
a sixty-days' furlough. We were soon all in a 
tremor of excitement, and every one trying to be 
as well as possible. Comfortably as we were 
situated, yet we felt so anxious to get home that 
we forgot the dictates of prudence, and I at least 
would better have stayed where I was for some 
time time to come. The doctor in char^re of the 
ward I was in did not not want to hear of my 
going ; but I begged so hard that I was at last 
permitted to go, and with a number of others I 
was put on a steamer bound for Baltimore. 

We had hardly more than left when I felt that 
I had made a mistake in leaving the hospital ; nut 
it was now too late, and I was compelled to make 
the best of it. At Baltimore I took the cars for 
home, and arrived there on the following day, but 
in a sad condition. The great desire to get home 
had kept me up ; but once there the reaction 
came quick, and I was soon taken very sick. I 
was pleased to find, however, that death had not 
broken our family circle during my absence. 
Father had, a few hours before my arrival, started 
for Annapolis, but was overtaken by a mes- 
senger, who informed him of my arrival, when, he 
returned home. 



420 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

The sickness that followed was lonor- and terri- 
ble, and for almost three months I could not lift 
an arm, and for several weeks was unconscious 
of my own existence. Finally, however, through 
the skill of our good old family physician, Dr. P. 
S. dinger, and the care and attention of loving 
friends, I so far recovered as to be able to return 
to the hospital. The movement was, however, 
made too soon, and I was again taken very sick. 

Finally, on the 7th day of July, 1865, after 
being almost seven months under medical treat- 
ment, and fourteen months after my capture, I 
was discharged from the hospital and sent home ; 
not to again enjoy good health, however. The 
strain on my system had been too much to hope 
for that; and a broken constitution and wrecked 
physical frame will ever be to me a horrible re- 
minder of prison-life in the South. 



CHAPTER XV. 

ST. John's college hospital. 
'PHIS hospital was especially intended for the 
treatment of released prisoners of war, and I 
can not close this volume without these words of 
praise in its behalf. It was beautifully located in 
the suburbs of the antique city of Annapolis, 
Maryland, and at first only embraced the build- 
ing of the St. John's College. It was, however, 
soon found to be too small, and the Naval Acad- 
emy buildings and others were used for hospital 
purposes. A large number of hospital tents 
were also erected and filled with sick. 

To this place were sent the wrecked and 
broken-down creatures who had survived the 
horrors of Southern prisons, for medical treat- 
ment before being sent to their homes. A large 
corps of able surgeons and nurses attended to 
the wants of the inmates, and all that human 
skill and attention could do, was done to save 
the poor emaciated victims of rebel brutality, and 
win them back to health and strength again. 

A considerable number were, however, too far 
gone for human skill to save; and the soldiers' 
cemetery near the town contains the graves of 
hundreds of these men, who had reached the 
Union lines only to die. (421 ) 



42 2 BATTLE FIELD AND PRISON PEN. 

Beside the regular supplies issued by the Gov- 
ernment, the United States Sanitary Commission 
and other aid societies sent immense amounts of 
hospital supplies, and the arrangements for feed- 
ing the sick were as perfect as could be made. 

The spiritual wants of the inmates were also 
well attended to, reliofious meetinofs beino- held 
regularly, and well attended. A Sabbath-school 
was also organized for the convalescents, and all 
those who were able to attend. Mrs. Palmer, the 
wife of the chief surgeon in charge of the hos- 
pital, and a number of other Christian ladies, 
took a very active part in this school, and un- 
doubtedly accomplished much good. 

A good band, which daily discoursed sweet 
music on the grounds, was one of the most pleas- 
ing features of this grand institution. A small 
volume might be written on the management of 
this hospital, and the scenes connected with it ; 
and it would indeed be in strange contrast to the 
horrors of the prison-pens these inmates had 
come from. In those prisons the destruction of 
life had been a studied method; but in this hos- 
pital the prevention of it was the object striven for. 

THE END. 



* 



i 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 763 855 1 



